Book Review - Outliers: The Story of Success
Malcom Gladwell, researcher and bestselling author released Outliers: The Story of Success, in 2008. Though many of his books have received high ratings and critical acclaim over the years, this was the first of his that I have listened to. As an author and narrator Gladwell definitely ranks high on my list, but it is the thought-provoking perspectives presented in this book that captured my interest. How can you tell the story of success? Of course, there is no one way to tell the story of all success, success itself is an arbitrary measure, and there are so many factors that contribute to achieving it that it is not possible to account for them all. But that is one of the things I enjoyed about this book, the different perspective. When we learn the stories of people who have achieved something great, we tend to focus all our understanding on the individual characteristics that allowed them to persevere, to struggle and overcome. And with good reason, there is a lot to be said about the internal strength and drive that allows us to make critical decisions. We do not often learn of all the circumstances that exist outside of our immediate view, that create the opportunities for achieving success. That is the focus of this book, the opportunities and circumstances that allow us to become great, many of which only exist because of the decisions of others going back generations. Decisions that may even seem unremarkable and insignificant.
If you consider the successes you have achieved in life, or that of others, consider all the people and events in the past that created the conditions, whether good or bad, that allowed you to make the decisions you made. For many of us, our parents, grandparents, and families going back many generations have played no small role in creating the opportunities that exist for us today. For example, how much does the language you speak and the place you live affect the people you associate with, who your friends are, where you went to school, church, work, even your hobbies and habits? And if you are like me, as a child, it was your parents who decided where to live during the most formative years of life. How much have these circumstances affected your opportunities? And is it possible that those opportunities may have a more significant effect on our ability to succeed than any personal ambition we might develop? These are some of the questions Gladwell attempts to explore with thought provoking histories of individuals we consider to be successful. But then again, how would you define success anyway?
Regardless of our circumstances I believe there is always a way for us to achieve success. Nothing can be taken from the internal strength and ambition that allows us to reach beyond and create our own opportunities. To say we are only victims of our circumstances is to deny our own moral agency. Ultimately, for me this book was an insightful reminder to show gratitude to the many people and circumstances that came before, that provide me with the opportunities I have. Humility is a requirement for the type of success that I perceive as meaningful and significant. Understanding the role that opportunities have in success, gives us the insight to work to create those circumstances for our posterity and those around us who may be found without them.
