I've had a long hiatus from this blog, which I feel bad about. But I think I've got somewhat of a valid excuse...an international relocation back to the Bay Area from London and a newborn, both of which have just slightly distracted me. As I know all too well lately, finding time to focus on interests, passions, and hobbies (not to mention sleep) is a huge challenge. But what if it wasn't? What if you stopped everything (well, maybe not including childcare) to focus on something that you were truly passionate about? And you did so for the next 10 years.

Malcolm Gladwell concludes in his most recent book, Outliers, that leaders of pretty much any field (science, competitive athletics, software, music, etc.) need to spend approximately 10,000 hours over the course of approximately 10 years to develop the expertise that (in conjunction with the timing, location, and context of their upbringing) lays the foundation for their success. So here's the million dollar question. If you could focus on a single subject for 10 years, at the end of which you'd be an expert in that field, what would it be? Hmmm.

Outliers reminded me of one of my father's friends who left his job fairly late in his career to go back to Medical School. He was the oldest student in his class by far, but was completely committed to seeing through his dream of becoming a doctor. He finished his education (again) in his mid 40's...his theory was that he still had a 20+ year medical career to look forward to. Last I heard, he was loving it.

Gladwell's got me thinking. Perhaps I should attempt to brew the perfect beer, or focus on taking beautiful photographs, or maybe even write a book.