Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. ~ Oscar Wilde

This week, I finished book number two in my 2019 Reading Challenge. I prefer to read fiction book so I’m challenging myself to read more non-fiction. The first non-fiction book for 2019 is Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. This book explains the hidden advantages from star athletes, top lawyers, Bill Gates and the Beatles. In most cases it has something to do with culture, family, class and the generation you were born into. A lucky break, a dedication to hard work and the ability to seize that lucky break all factor into success stories.

Since finishing this book two days ago, I’ve been thinking about ways I can help others get their lucky break. We don’t even realize all the missed possibilities because we’re focused on getting ahead instead of helping other people up. It’s mind boggling to contemplate what type of world we could live in.

The other concept is one I’ve heard of before. To be an expert, one needs to put in 10,000 hours. Naturally, I wondered if I’ve put in 10,000 hours of knitting. I estimate I average about 30 minutes of knitting every day. Some days will be less or not at all, but other days I can get in a couple hours of crafting time. Thirty minutes daily gives me 189 hours of knitting a year. I’ve been knitting consistently for the past 15 years. That gives me a grand total of 2835 hours of knitting time. Even if I think my estimate is too low and round it up to 3000 hours, I’m still 7000 hours way from being an expert knitter.

At first I thought, this seemed wrong. Then I started to think about the different techniques I don’t know or haven’t tried yet. Let’s not forget I’ve done very little garment construction. 3000 hours seems about right. Why didn’t I learn to knit as a child? I’m going to try to get in those 10,000 hours.

Just two more people sleeps until the British Hubby returns!