It’s been five days since I wrote anything. I’m a little angry at myself for that because I promised I’d push to write more. Although I’ve written a couple times every week, what really makes a good writer (or good anything for that matter) is putting the time in. Those 10,000 hours means almost 10-15 years of practicing something 2-3 hours a day. Everyday.

I’ve been listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers Audiobook on YouTube and some of the things he teaches have really struck a chord with me. How geniuses aren’t just on talent alone and that opportunity, culture, and legacy are all part of the mix. How anyone can be amazing if they are given the opportunity, put in the time, and have just the right amount of luck and tenacity.

It reinforced the thankfulness I have for my parents, my background, and my history. Life wasn’t always easy, but comparably, it wasn’t extremely difficult either. I grew up safe, my tummy full, a roof over my head. I grew up not worrying about tuition or rent and watching my peers get gifted with cars and jetting off to see the world. I was given opportunities and I was lucky enough to live a life many people wish for. But it’s not only that I am lucky, but that I am grateful too. For the things I wasn’t so fortunate about, it’s important that I saw them in different lights. Success is measured by the way you see things and how you react to your situations.

Some people blame, complain, and give up. Many people, actually. They can’t say no to their parents. They can’t get on a plane to live somewhere new. They can’t live on their own. They can’t get a new job. They can’t.

And they would rather resign themselves to whining about how the world is unfair and how everyone is against them. That luck and fortune wasn’t on their side and their lives were terrible..

I think it’s time to get a reality check.

Instead of crying and seeing situations as a win or a lose, black or white, it’s the kids that come up with solutions and do something about their problems that become successful in the future.

This book is great because it inspires. It tells you that nothing is only by luck of the draw. That it really takes the effort and the ability to think positively that propel people to the top. Outliers tells you to not give up. To see things are problems with solutions and not end games. I’m not quite finished with it yet, but I hope to take its teachings in earnest. I want to instill great routines in my life and I want to meet and exceed all my potential. Write everyday, meditate, work out, study, network, work, run, draw, (floss), love. Do.

Do better. Be better.

To that extent, I must do my best.

Every. Single. Day.