RS1 HOW TO BE A GENIUS

 “You can do anything if you put your mind to it” is a quote we've all heard at least one time in our lives. The article, How to be a Genius, by David Dobbs supports this infamous quote and further substantiates it by including notable people who have succeeded through tedious practice.  With that, Dobbs explains how a genius is not simply born a genius; rather that intelligent human only becomes a genius by practice.  The term genius is a misconception we have about one’s intelligence in the society that we live in.

It’s common to assume people are born geniuses but the factors that lead to genius are more than just the attributes, talents and attitudes one is born with. A genius has a mixture of “natural ability, quality instruction, and a mountain of work” according to the author. The findings presented in this article explain how Albert Einstein, Tiger Woods and Mozart had the potential to succeed, but only exceeded through practice and extreme effort.  Tiger woods is clearly an accomplished golfer, the author points out how woods is amazing on the golf course but he was  “swinging a golf club before he could walk, got great instruction and practiced constantly from boyhood”.  Woods clearly has a talent but without practice he wouldn’t be anywhere today.

            A genius is not born, nor is a genius quickly created into an outstanding, accomplished person in a couple years.  The author ruled, “It seems you have to put in at least a decade of focused work to master something and bring greatness within reach”.  With that being said, the rule supplements the example of Tiger woods swinging a golf club before he could. With years and years of experience a notable golf professional was born. Additionally, Dobbs explained a study of over one hundred accomplished people in all different fields took at least a decade to practice or study to reach their goal.

            While the idea that nobody is born a genius is clearly explained throughout this article, there are definitely traces of attributes that people are born with to make one successful. “It happens because some critical things line up so that a person of good intelligence can put in the sustained, focused effort it take to achieve extraordinary mastery.” Evidently, it’s not that your born a genius but your born with some talents or skills that need to be further developed. One can be born with talents or intelligence and never try to succeed or work towards bettering their skills. The author claims that dedication is more important than innate talent.

            To obtain the level of mastery that a genius achieves a great amount of hard work is necessary. The author states that hard work leading to success could encourage your or overwhelm you because no matter what hard work is both encouraging and overwhelming. Sometimes we fail a little before we succeed, which can be and that can be encouraging or overwhelming depending on your outlook. I find this reading to be encouraging along with hard work leading to success to be encouraging. Working hard to be successful is one of the most satisfying and encouraging aspects of effort.