A local drinker, Rick Lennard, has used his rampant alcoholism to disprove the theory that if you spend 10,000 hours doing something you become world-class at it. The theory, popularised by pop psych writer Malcolm Gladwell, is known as the 10,000 Hour Rule, and claims that 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” of a task will make you world-class in that field.
However, Lennard claims that he’s living proof of the theory being flawed, after he did some math with the few remaining brain cells he has in his head. He said, “I’ve been drinkin’ since I was about 15 years old, and now I’m 36. That’s 21 years of solid drinking, averaging maybe 20 hours of heavy drinking per week. That’s 21,840 hours in total, meaning I should be world-class two times over.”
Lennard said that while his tolerance to alcohol had gradually increased over the years, “I still do stupid things when I’m pissed. I reckon I’ve lost me wallet about 17 times, and smashed the screen on about 14 phones. That’s hardly the performance of a world-class drinker!”
The Watsonia Bugle 