Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, presents the 10,000-hour rule, a theory that to become proficient at a given task, you must dedicate about 10,000 hours to said task. That equates to about four hours a day for ten years. Few of us spend that much time doing anything, with the possible exception of sleeping (and perhaps watching TV). And that's probably a big part of the reason why few of us develop our talents to greatness.
Gladwell's theory makes me wonder about my own lifestyle choices. I mean, I want to be great at stuff, but I also like to do a lot of stuff. I spend a lot of time writing, playing music and running, but not at a rate where I'll get to 10,000 hours any time soon. It makes you appreciate the difficulties in trying to be well rounded and trying to be really good at any one task.
It's certainly possible for some. For example, Nabokov wrote books in three languages, was one of the most accomplished translators of Russian literature, and was among the best lepidopterists of his time. He was great at all of these things, but it is doubtful that he spent 10,000 hours or more on each. Perhaps if the skills are interrelated, you don't need to spend all 10,000 hours to develop each individual skill. Time reading helps you become a better writer. Time listening to music could make you a better musician. Time translating Russian to English makes you a better writer in both languages.
And, of course, an otherworldly intellect doesn't hurt, either.
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