Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
So I get home from a stressful day at work last Monday and sort through all the mail, try to put my emotions on a leash when thinking about our mortgage situation and all the hassle and unfortunate circumstances we are in and I see this box from amazon on my desk. I open it and to my surprise is this book, Outliers – which I distinctly remember hearing about from Justin at Mike Nourse’s Opening and also subsequently remember adding to my Amazon wishlist at some point weeks earlier. I’m thinking, “Oh! I mistakenly clicked the ’1-click ordering’ button on the right hand side of the page and accidentally bought it.”
But then I look at the receipt and it says the billing address is from Justin Winget – um, awesome! I couldn’t have known it at the time, but now reading half way into the book and spending a little more time with myself lately for some quiet time, how much I needed some inspiration and a great book to read.
I was reading the first chapter and thinking, I’m not sure I’ll get through it – since I usually have to read certain types of books to keep my interest – I’m not sure what I mean by that statement, but mostly I lose interest with my incredibly short attention span. This one starts out telling the story of a small Roman city called Roseto – and I’m thinking to myself, “My ADD is totally going to wipe me out and stop me from finishing this book.” But, and I must say I really have to take that back.
The book is about the lives of “outliers” – people whose achievements fall outside normal experiences – whether they are peculiar or logical they all seem to give me a better understanding of life and human potential.
There are so many excerpts that I want to share but one in particular that I read today on the train ride to work was, “There is complexity, autonomy, and a relationship between effort and reward in doing creative work, and that’s worth more to most of us than money. Work that fulfills those three criteria is meaningful.”
Yeah, I know that sounds like something we’ve all heard and understood before, but the stories Gladwell uses to expand on that theory really bring it to life and make you think, “I never thought of it that way.” It makes me happy that I chose a creative career even though it is sometimes stressful, painstaking, difficult, and definitely not making me rich – because at the end of the day its fulfilling.
Thank you Justin ~ I’ve gotta hand it to you, you are making me want to read more. ;)
shellie, can i borrow the book when you are finished?
of course! I want Bobby to read it and I told him I’d give it to him next…but if he doesn’t have time to read it just yet, I’ll pass it on to you first. :)
Were so alike in that no less than a year ago, I too dreaded trying to get through a book…my creative mind would wander, and I would rarely get past chapter 1…but then life got stressful, and I realized that a book had the power to transport me and shift my attention to things other than streses going on around me. So recently I’ve found reading to be both a great outlet, but an incredibly enriching experience as well. It’s like taking a class from a renound professor and not having to sit through hours of lectures, but instead only getting the good meaty stuff…
You guys are so inspirational. I dread reading too.. but whenever I do, I really enjoy it. I got a lil taste of Outliers, but I’ll wait till Shellie finishes it. Rene and I will have to arm-wrestle to see who gets it first… I’m a lil scared she’s gonna win.
Rene is a pretty tough cookie – so get ready for a fight! lol
Hey there’s always http://tinyurl.com/dzz34e
Oh that’s so cool! I might have to get his other book on my phone! haha.
I consider myself an outlier to a certain extent. I think that everyone in high school should be introduced to this book. It is really true less stress means better luck and success.
I dig the premises of the other books this author’s put out. And, he has a knack for writing for the masses, which is probably why he’s on the NYT Bestsellers list so often (what with mechanics like “Or are they?”–dun, dun, dun!). You would’ve certainly have heard of this guy if you listen to NPR at a