To build a structure, we must first dig a hole for the foundation

It’s ironic that when we want to build something, a house, an office building, a tall skyscraper, we must first dig a hole in the ground for the foundation. And the taller the building, the deeper the hole we have to dig. To grow upward, we must first dig in the opposite direction to create the foundation.

And digging the foundation isn’t glamorous work; it’s dirty. And sometimes when we are digging the foundation we wonder if we will ever begin building the skyscraper.

But eventually we do. And finally the skyscraper is finished. And while we are appreciating the skyscraper, we never think of the foundation that supports the structure.

Life is like this. Whenever we decide to start a project or an adventure or a business or a course of study, we first have to make sure the foundation is there, so we are building on something solid. If we don’t have a solid foundation, the structure is sure to collapse.

Developing a skill is like this, as well. There's an old saying that practice makes perfect. Several years ago Malcolm Gladwell wrote a little book titled The Outliers about the amount of practice it takes to be world-class at anything, whether you are The Beatles or Bill Gates. His research showed that it typically took about ten thousand hours of practice to achieve world-class performance.