Total Immersion

Many people like to dabble.  This appears to be a common trait that is within all of us naturally.  My conclusion is this stems from the inherent curiosity that we exhibit when young.  Have you ever noticed how very young children are interested in everything?  No matter what it is, it captures their attention.  For example, a small child can be entertained for hours simply by watching a bug.  Contrast that with an adult who simply takes off a shoe and introduces the insect to its' creator.  Nevertheless, the child is completely engrossed by this being.

Obsessive Compulsive

There is a psychological disorder called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD for short.  This is a mental state where one obsesses about certain things past the point of normal, entering the zone of abnormality.  We can see this exhibited in yard care.  Taking care of one's lawn while wanting things to look nice is normal.  However, being out there with tweezers to ensure every blade of grass near the edge is plucked is a bit obsessive.  The general idea is that a natural concern moves to the point of perfection.

My point here is that it is helpful for a person to get obsessive when trying to learn something new.  Many people suggest the best way to learn a new language is to totally immerse oneself in that language.  In other words, begin to think throughout the day in the other language.  Surround oneself with people who are speaking it.  Perhaps move to the country where it is spoken thus forcing oneself to learn it.  Through these steps one cannot help by to completely focus upon the endeavor at hand; in this instance learning a new language. 

This method is 100% successful.  Have you ever noticed that when you go to a foreign country, let us say Spain, that everyone speaks Spanish?  Why is that?  The reason is because those individuals were immersed in the language from a young age.  They had no choice but to learn it.

Do you think this same idea will hold true for you?  Let me offer up a question to get you thinking?  What are the chances that you would learn a great deal about baseball if you spent all your non-working hours studying this game?  I would hypothesize that the odds are great that you would see tremendous improvement.  Since you focus is almost exclusively in that area, great advancement is the only possible outcome.  Of course, the caveat to all this would be the willingness to dedicate the time to it.  If you were obsessive about it, increased knowledge would result.

10,000 Hours

Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve greatness in any particular area.  The main idea with this theory is that if one dedicates this amount of time to any one endeavor, superstar skills are attained.  A prime example of this is athletes.  Look at any professional and you can easily see how many hours were spent hitting golf balls or shooting baskets to achieve the level of skill the individual has.  Moving into the business realm, think about the number of hours Warren Buffett spent studying business and the stock market.  People of this nature spent years honing their craft.

So what does this mean for you?  What if you are not a person in your 20s who has decades to study a particular area so as to attain expertise?  Fortunately, there is another way of looking at this entire matter.  While 10,000 hours is given as the amount of time necessary, there are many instances which one can do it in less time.  One way to do this, especially in the area of knowledge, is to learn from others.  People often write about their successes, and pitfalls.  It is through understanding what caused the pitfalls where you can save yourself considerable time.  Using the experience of others can save you a great deal of time.

Another point that I would like to mention is for you to understand what your goal is.  While expertise is a really good thing, perhaps that is a level that is not required for success.  When it comes to money management, one does not need 10,000 hours of study to improve his or her situation.  I found that dedicating a year of study (about 500 hours) will set one ahead of most other people.  Since most fail to study money, budgeting, and sound financial decisions, the person who immerses him or herself in this arena, even for a hour or two a day, will find tremendous success. 

Therefore, I suggest you begin to immerse yourself in the study of money.  Wealth is something that anyone can attain if he or she is willing to learn the steps to achieving it.  Consider yourself like a person landing in a foreign country to learn a new language.  Put all your focus upon this single area and watch how quickly your life changes.  As with anything, when you immerse yourself in something, success will result.
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