We march to the beat of a steady drum.
What keeps an army on their feet?
What tool use pianists time to keep?
The beat of a steady drum.The beat of a steady drum.
When across the keys fingers sweep.
Where vision lost would mean defeat.
We march to the beat of a steady drum.
Several of my siblings have mastered skills that both of us share. For example, my level of expertise at piano would fall under “average” at best, even though I tickled the ivories before some of them were old enough to try. I know that this seems simple, but it made me stop to wonder which “beat” is playing as I go marching along.
I have a set of friends who are excellent in their craft, traveling around the country and singing wherever they go. You and I may consider ourselves decent singers because we like the way we sound in the shower, but this family takes it to another level, they are truly excellent. Why? The concept is the same thing that helped countless armies move forward in battle, and the same thing that makes my siblings amazing at piano.
We march to the beat of a steady drum.
When comparing someone who is good at something, and someone else who is great at that same skill, there’s a lot more to consider than a sheer volume of time spent. 10,000 hours may seem like an attractive way to quantify expertise, but prolonged exposure does not guarantee mastery. There needs to be more to our history of work than hours logged; we need consistency.
Putting in the time is crucial, but I realize now, at age 28, that putting in consistent hours leads to far greater things. I love to write, but I’m rusty. I love to create digital scenery, but these days I take candid sunset shots with my phone. People don’t ask me to teach them about writing or matte painting; if someone asks me for advice, it’s generally something that they have seen me do many, many times. Every measure defines (or breaks) the pattern.
I’d like to explore this further, because I think it has a lot of influence on our habits. Routines form when habits mean something to us, which in turn have a great impact on how we use our time. I plan to get something back from time spent, and I hope you do as well. It may take us 10,000 hours to get there, so why not start today? Pick your tune, learn its rhythms, and beat the steady drum.