An outlier is defined as something observed as significantly different (above or below) or lying outside the sample set or an average. With this paper, I intend to summarize Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, as well as use it in describing why I think Lionel Messi is an outlier.
In outliers, Gladwell (2008) examines what makes some people remarkably more successful than others. It is commonly thought that talent, intelligence, and hard work, far above average, is all that is needed to gain great success. Gladwell challenges this belief through thorough background research on some distinguished outliers. I intend to summarize his key points, necessary for an outlier, and apply them to my chosen outlier, Lionel Messi. In a world where success is said to be achieved through talent and hard work, it seems to have a lot more to do with unfair advantages and opportunities. The key aspects Gladwell (2008) relates to an outlier include innate talent, opportunities, practice, upbringing and family influence, cultural legacy, and the relevance or importance of one’s work. I will now go on to further explain and expand on these characteristics individually.
The first characteristic needed to excel as an outlier is innate talent. In order to truly excel in anything, one must have the talent to foster success. Gladwell concedes that talent and hard work are factors in success. Human achievements, he argues, demand ability and talent, disciplined by at least 10,000 hours of practice. Having talent alone does not make one successful. Having the fortitude to take advantage of opportunities afforded to you, and the determination to practice for as long as it takes to master your craft is what leads to true success.
Next, let’s take a look at opportuni...
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...t success through opportunities and hard work. Having the fortitude to seize all the opportunities at hand and the resolve to work hard, even early on in life, through his medical problems, Lionel Messi has been able to outshine all others and make a name for himself as one of the best to ever play the game of football.
Having opportunities and advantages not readily available to others, being born at a time that enables you to take advantage of opportunities unavailable to those born before or after you, having parents engaged and involved in your effort to success, and the endurance to practice day in and day out makes an outlier. Innate talent is the cornerstone of any success story. But to truly understand one’s journey to success, you need to delve deeper to uncover the true aspects of their success. And in the process, maybe make a case for them as an outlier.
In Outliers Malcolm Gladwell calculates success. Through the repeated praxis of shattering the reader’s idea that masters in a particular field achieve their success through individual talent he unravels how their given circumstances was what truly led them to what they became. Example after example he proves how conditions as simple as the year they were born led to their later achievement; the author even demonstrated how a person’s culture can later affect their job performance. CoCo Chanel, arguably the most famed and inspirational fashion
In the book “Outliers: The Story of Success” authored by Malcolm Gladwell, he explains what an outlier is and what it means to be “successful”. Throughout the novel, Gladwell provides examples by writing different stories in nine various chapters to support his claim. Gladwell believes that success isn’t gained by natural talent, but by the effects of other circumstances and that these people are called outliers. It’s the argument of nature vs. nurture that Gladwell wants to address in his book. Many people in society would think that a particular person is successful due to the individual’s natural talents, although that can be true to a certain extent, Gladwell wants to disapprove that idea in people’s mind and wants the public to look at
We see that in the reading “Mundanity of Excellence,” by Daniel F Chambliss, the focus is on nature of excellence as it pertains to Olympic swimming. Mr. Chambliss supplies the reader with his experience and sociological approach to his theory that “talent is useless.” I will now provide you with a brief commentary on how sociology relates to developing human talent. It is perceived that one’s natural goal is to accomplish perfection in a “talent” or gift. This ranges from numerous types of talents whether it is sports, entertainment, acting, or even a technical skill. In a sociologist way of thinking we realize that excellence is not only achieved by quantitative or qualitative improvements, it encompasses several factors. I want to
The popular saying “practice makes perfect” has been used for many years encouraging younger generations to strive for success in whatever area they wish to excel in. Success is something everybody in society strides for but some do not know how it is achieved. However, there are many people throughout history who are known for achieving success in many areas. Malcolm Gladwell, a best selling author and speaker, identifies these people as being outliers. Gladwell identifies the word “outlier” in his story Outliers as “a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience.” Although Malcolm Gladwell does not establish credibility for himself in his novel, his targeted audience of a younger inexperienced generation feel the need to be informed by his detailed theories about becoming successful and eventually becoming an outlier. Although the reality of becoming successful can depend on instances one can not control, Gladwell tells his readers there is a great portion they can control through his theory, the 10,000 hour rule. He does this by using well presented logical persuasive appeals and interesting rhetorical devices such as: onomatopeias, exposition, and argumentation.
An essay “Man and Superman: In athletic competitions, what qualifies as a sporting chance?” by Malcolm Gladwell is attempted to answer an issue “Do genetic advantages make sports unfair?” The essay contains two arguments: human biological diversity makes sports unfair, and, consequently, as human attempts to equalise all the players as considered a moral obligation, the sports industry has no problem with athletes’ self-transformation while doping athletes is prohibited which, in his opinion, they should be justified just like those self-transformations. Gladwell also criticises the sports industry who is actually a culprit of this fairness, they try to level the playing by measuring that no one has an advantage over others but the consequence is a catalyst of science intervention.
Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers is an extremely informative read about success and the different aspects that attribute to it. Gladwell is able to use many studies and sources that back up his theories of how success is achieved. Although he is biased towards his theories, the only real argument that can be made in opposition to his theories would be a debate over exceptions to the 10,000 Hour Rule. Outliers ultimately has a positive effect on the audience by making them more aware of their own chances at success and how if they may be lacking in one area (education, opportunity, creativity) all hope is not lost. Gladwell’s piece is essentially timeless and will be able to be applied to future generations because he used examples from a few different eras that still make sense to today.
Outlier. An outlier is someone who is not considered to be a normal person within society. They have qualities that most people do not obtain. They are the most successful of individuals and many aspire to be them. Michael Jackson is the epitome of what I believe is a true outlier. In his best-selling novel, Malcolm Gladwell stated that we tend to spend more time looking at individuals success rather than looking at things that ultimately contributed to that success, such as their family, birthplace, and even birth date.
In “Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell organizes his argument for their being a rule for overall success by showing statistics of people who are defined as being successful such as Bill Gates, Billy Joy, and The Beatles. He also uses a Berlin music academy to help prove his rule. He presents an argument that Bill Gates and The Beatles and the violinist attending the music academy may have been born with innate talent but that is not the sole ...
If people work hard, focus, and are disciplined, they will succeed in the future. This has become a universal idea taught by parents, teachers, and peers. People have passed down this idea to the younger generations and they chose to live by this moral that makes sense. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell debunks the universal idea that working hard will allow people to play hard and get further in life. Gladwell eliminates the traditional ideas of success by showing that opportunities, family background, and being born at the “right” time are actually what lead to success.
Lionel Messi is the greatest player in the history of football. Dispute it all you want, but there is magic in the feet of the little Argentinian genius that no other has ever had. Talent alone isn’t enough to become the world’s best though, and Messi’s career has been full of sacrifice and hard work. The accompanying is a massive rundown of numerous things you may not think about Lionel Messi, and a ton you as of now do. Lionel Messi had a hard time back in days with family, playing soccer, and having problem being sick when he was little boy.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: the story of success. 2011. Reprint. New York: Back Bay Books / Little, Brown and Co., 2008. Print.
The ideas presented in Outliers are surprisingly aligned with my own. It makes sense to me that a person’s success isn’t all about ability and his or her individual merit. In the past I have reflected upon my successes to find that I was not alone while achieving them. I have been given tremendous opportunities in life. I have always challenged my own definitions, and I like the spin Malcolm Gladwell puts on his.
Have you ever met an accomplished individual that has never reached success? Lack of success following talented individuals is common. In fact, without proper opportunity, no amount of personal merit will lead to success. Malcolm Gladwell demonstrates the impact of opportunities on success in his novel Outliers: The Story of Success. By analyzing the background of outliers, he concludes that opportunity plays a major role in success. The biography of Elon Musk, an interview with my mother, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” reveal more data to support Gladwell’s thesis. These sources state that success in people’s lives are a result of opportunity, not personal merit, supporting Gladwell’s thesis.
In order to be successful, failure is inevitable. When one fails, it is essential for them to practice tremendous hours to develop their skills and master their craft. In beginning of the book, Gladwell explains “The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert in anything” (40). Messi was certainly not the best player in the world as he made a debut in the spanish league but becoming professional at the age of
Messi was the shortest on the field, but he did not give up trying to be better than the others. He was not the strongest nor the biggest on his team. He can do all those things better than those players, being he did not let anything build up into his head (“Fitzpatrick”).