Practice hard and be patient.

When examining and analyzing the most successful people in several fields—whether musicians, athletes, or even chess players—researchers found a common pattern. All the top players had at least 10,000 hours of practice. In fact, these players weren’t considered great until they had had those 10,000 hours of practice.

They usually followed the same pattern, too: about two or three hours a week from the ages of five to eight, and then six hours a week, then eight, then 16, and by the time they were 20, they were practising 30 hours a week.

The average people in each field totaled about 8,000 hours of practice, and those who were slightly below average had 4,000 hours of practice.

So, practice hard!

1. Practice makes perfect.
   If you want to be good at something, you must practice it. Research indicates that to be above average in your field, you should practice the necessary skills for roughly 8,000 hours. If you truly want to excel, aim to have at least 10,000 hours of practice.

2. Be patient.
   You might not perform well at a task the first hundred times you attempt it, but the 101st time might be the charm. Don’t give up!