Most people throughout the world strive for success in each task they take on, and along with this, many reasons contribute to why they succeed or not. If a person does not succeed, they may automatically blame themselves because of their level of strength. Others may blame themselves for not having enough knowledge about what they are trying to succeed at. The real reason that people may not succeed, however, is their lack of determination and happiness throughout his/her journey that is demonstrated in the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. Both knowledge and strength combine to help a person achieve the American Dream because of the will and determination that arises from knowing what a person has and knowing what …show more content…
When Christopher Langan’s brother is explaining why Chris did not succeed in school, he says that, “The issue with Chris is that he was always too bored to actually sit there and listen to his teachers” (Gladwell 110). A problem that exists is that students are having trouble concentrating in school and paying attention. These students are more amused by all the technology that could be used instead of paying attention, and they feel that it would help them and entertain them more than listening to teachers talk. This trouble concentrating is also noticeable when employees at work think that because of technology, they do not have to think and remember as much information because they can just look it up or type it in on their phones or tablets to remember it. This may eventually lead to a disadvantage when finding other jobs and achieving the American Dream because the other companies may not use the technology that some people are so used to using. Another situation where the lack of determination is shown is when the Air Traffic Control explains how, “the glidescope had been under repair . . . It was just a small thing-an inconvenience, really-that made the task of landing just a bit more difficult” (Gladwell 210). Pilots nowadays want things to be easy, and they think that they do not have to learn as much because technology takes care of it for them. When …show more content…
When Chris Langan was faced with a tough decision in college, he decided, “that was the point that I decided I could do without the higher education system” (Gladwell 94). Chris made a decision that not many people in America want to do or nonetheless, actually do. He carries the risk of affecting his entire future by not receiving a college degree and getting a job that he can support himself with. Chris also knows what is best for himself, and that everyone is different. He does the best for himself, and others will see. This type of situation will hopefully help others by influencing them to do the best for only themselves in order for them to feel like they have achieved the American Dream. Another situation that people may come across where they have to make a life-changing decision is as immigrants. At a young age, a “Brilliant immigrant kid overcomes poverty and the Depression, can’t get a job at the stuffy downtown law firms, [and] makes it on his own through sheer hustle and ability” (Gladwell 119). As it is, it is really hard to adjust to a new life in a new country. People do not know what to expect when they immigrate to a different country, even despite what they have heard from others. This difficult decision to go to a completely new place and start over is one that has to be made and
We all understand what success is, but what allows for a person to become successful? Malcolm Gladwell wrote his book Outliers to study this topic and settle once and for all why some people are more successful than others. Gladwell uses the success stories of people throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to discover just exactly what it is that allows for one to be successful. He explains that there is much more to becoming successful than just natural talent and skill. Gladwell states in Outliers that success is the product of the time we were born, our dedication, and most of all where we come from.
Everyone has their own vision of success. For some,it is being rich and famous and for others it is to have a great impact on the world. In the first chapter of outliers Gladwell claims that success is something you need to work for in some ways, he fails to come up with a solution for people that became successful without working for it.
Malcolm Gladwell’s overall purpose of Outliers: The Story of Success is that success is largely determined by an individual’s socioeconomic and sociocultural environment, and individual ambition, effort, or talent, are less significant, contrary to the societal notions associated with success. In other words, success is not something that someone randomly gained; success is earned through opportunities that develop dedication, interest, and skill over time. By doing this, will one become an outlier, or “something that is situated away or classed differently from a main or related body,” (Gladwell 3) that distinguishes great from good and best from great, as exemplified by “The striking thing about Ericsson’s study is that the and his colleagues couldn’t find any “naturals”, musicians who floated effortlessly to the top while practicing a fraction of the time their peers did.” (Gladwell 39) Gladwell also acknowledges societal norms such that “All of the fourteen men and woman on the list above had vision and talent,” (Gladwell 62-63) to assert hard work, ability, et cetera can lead to success, but a social environment that offers such opportunities immensely increases the likelihood of success.
The American dream is the ideal that every U.S. citizen should be able to achieve success and prosperity through equal opportunities such as hard work, patience, determination, initiative. In William Zinsser’s essay “The Right to Fail,” the readers are presented with the idea that failure is a part of the pathway to life to be able to achieve the American dream. Like most people, this complicates what we see as the American dream. Do we all face failure at some point in life? Will we be able to pick ourselves back up after this point? Is there any way to avoid failure? What does failure even consist of? Zinsser provides his readers with the truths about this derogatory word known as failure.
The power to grow emotionally and reach specific life goals lies in mindset of each person. Truslow was a marvelous historian who initially came up with the infamous term “The American Dream” (91). It is because of him that thousands of people seek and question what that dream truly means. To Adam the simple relationship between an employee and boss was sacred. In America looking at each person with equality is highly expected. This is why America leaves such high expectations for the rest of the world. The United States is known to be the land of the free where each person has the same opportunity as the next guy. The simple fact that people in America have room to choose what they want from life is extraordinary (Adams 91). According to Adams, “The American Dream opens all sorts of questions” ( 92). The true meaning of succeeding and being financially set will forever vary on the
Higher achievers: how are they different? Malcolm Gladwell writes Outliers: The Story of Success. He takes the reader on a journey through the world of the most successful. Throughout the book he maintains a substantial question: what makes high achievers different? Gladwell does a fascinating job of answering that question and inspiring the reader to have a different perspective.
Are the various millionaires from the world truly self-made men or is their success a result of a more complex outside source- the environment? In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell analyzes how people achieve success. He stresses the belief that success is obtained by other factors beyond personal characteristics like IQ, work ethic, talent and ambition. To truly understand success, one must go deeper and look at the “hidden” reasons, such as birthdates, hours put in, cultural background and timing. Individuals credit their own success on their merit, but it’s decided on other factors outside their control.
Intelligence comes in many forms and many types. There’s crystallized intelligence, which is the stuff taught in school, and what tests measure. There’s also fluid intelligence, which is one’s ability to think critically and problem-solve, it’s one’s “street smarts”. People often revere intelligence as the most important trait to success, besides hard work and determination. Although that’s not entirely true, it definitely helps to be smart. Successful people are often labeled “geniuses”. People will list endless ways to increase one’s intelligence, such as eating a certain food, or doing a puzzle a day, but research has shown these three, legitimate contributors to an overall higher intelligence: genetics, diet as a child, and music lessons.
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell probes the hidden factors that have made the brightest and the most ambitious the extremely successful people known today. Gladwell emphasizes examining the cultural, environmental, and economic advantages surrounding these individuals and while pure skill is a variable, it is certainly not the only factor. With this, Gladwell provides a fascinating and logical take that makes even the average reader conclude that they are not far off from people like Bill Gates or the Beatles and can achieve greatness with preparation and opportunity.
A country in which people are free means they're free to succeed and fail. To succeed in life, one must set a goal, identify the skills needed to achieve the objective, and execute those. Though this is much easier said than done, with a strong work ethic, Americans all have an equal opportunity to succeed —otherwise known as The American Dream. This ideal life dates back to 1931 and has since brought people of all shapes and sizes prosperity in America. Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers undermines The American Dream; he states “...no one – not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses – ever makes it alone.” Gladwell makes it clear that he believes that The American Dream is now dead. Though The American
Talent is overrated, no one who is successful did it overnight, that is fact, however, the discrepancies begin on the why. Many claims were made and thoroughly supported by Malcolm Gladwell in “Outliers: The Story Of Success” and “The Struggle to Be First: First-Gen Students May Be Torn Between College and Home” by Alina Tugend. The factors that are believed to be attribute to success are social class standards, the educational level of a family, and practical intelligence.
“Success is a function of persistence and determination and the willingness to work hard to make sense of something others may give up on” (Malcolm Gladwell Outliers). In the book of Outliers, The Stories of Success Malcolm Gladwell presents an idea of what is success and how it can be achieved. The book poses interesting view on how success is granted by opportunity, skills, social responsibility and creativity. The term outliers stand for something that is “1. Situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body, 2. A statistical observation that is markedly different in value from the others of the sample” (Gladwell, p. 6). The books represent an idea that, opportunity comes to those that are looking for it. So, what set
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.
In Chapter 8 and 9 of Outliers: The Story of Success, Gladwell exams some of the ways that Asian and American students learn math, arguing that some of the principles in the US education system should be reconsidered. I generally agree with Gladwell’s point of view. I believe in two ways, students ' principal spirit and the length of students’ studying, the US education system leaves much to be desired, though an overhaul is in progress.
With America actually being seen as the land of assurance, the American dream is usually associated with the freedom and opportunity of gaining prosperity, recognition, power, triumph, and contentment. On the surface, this dream appears virtually delighted, offering individuals the exceptional hope of accomplishing success despite of one’s race, religion, or family history. The American Dream is accurately what it seems to be the chance of perfect lying nearby the corner. However, the actual nature of this dream prohibit the pleasure of the victory one has earned, as the desire is always demanding one to work a slight harder and gain a slightly more.