"Success is a Gift"

I just finished reading a very interesting book called "Outliers: The Story of Success". The author, Malcolm Gladwell, takes a unique look on external or community factors contributing a person's success. He suggests that successes are a form of accumulated advantages. Successful people are given extraordinary opportunities to practice more in their fields. Some important points include:

1. Once IQ is above 120, IQ no longer correlates with success.
   
2. Serious success in any area requires at least 10,000 hours of effort.
   
3. Growing rice instills a culture of hard work for Asian students.
   
4. Public schools work. Summer vacation is failing students.
   

The stories of Bill Gates and the Beatles make all these points convincing and memorable. I am glad to be able to justify all the homework my boys did every summer which has likely improved their chance to succeed :-).