Peak : secrets from the new science of expertise

Selected as a Book of the Year by New Statesman Mozart wasn't born with perfect pitch. Most athletes are not born with any natural advantage. Three world-class chess players were sisters, whose success was planned by their parents before they were even born. Anders Ericsson has spent thirty years studying The Special Ones, the geniuses, sports stars and musical prodigies. And his remarkable finding, revealed in Peak , is that their special abilities are acquired through training. The innate 'gift' of talent is a myth. Exceptional individuals are born with just one unique ability, shared by us all – the ability to develop our brains and bodies through our own efforts. Anders Ericsson's research was the inspiration for the popular '10,000-hour rule' but, he tells us, this rule is only the beginning of the story. It's not just the hours that are important but how you use them. We... 'Anyone who wants to get better at anything should read Peak .' Fortune Do you want to stand out at work, improve your athletic or musical performance, or help your child achieve academic goals? Anders Ericsson has made a career studying chess champions, violin virtuosos, star athletes, and memory mavens. Peak distils three decades of myth-shattering research into a powerful learning strategy that is fundamentally different from the way people traditionally think about acquiring new abilities. Ericsson's revolutionary methods will show you how to improve at almost any skill that matters to you, and that you don't have to be a genius to achieve extraordinary things. 'Remarkable...who among us doesn't want to learn how to get better at life? ' Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of Freakonomics 'This book...could truly change the world ' Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein Selected as a Book of the Year by New StatesmanMost athletes are not born with any natural advantage. Three world-class chess players were sisters, whose success was planned by their parents before they were even born. Anders Ericsson has spent thirty years studying The Special Ones, the geniuses, sports stars and musical prodigies. And his remarkable finding, revealed in PeakPeak prove that potential is what you make it **Selected as a Book of the Year by __New Statesman__** Anders Ericsson's research was the inspiration for the popular '10,000-hour rule' but, he tells us, this rule is only the beginning of the story. It's not just the hours that are important but how you use them. We...