Measuring Success of Extraordinary Individuals - Book Report/Review Example

Formal Writing Assignment #2: Measuring Success Introduction The phenomenal success of distinct and extraordinaryindividuals setting them apart from the rest has intrigued scholars and practitioners from various endeavors. It is this intriguing component that made Malcolm Gladwell write the book Outliers: The Story of Success. The remarkable insights and findings were presented in two sections with nine chapters and would blow readers imagination and excite the senses to the limit. In this regard, the current essay aims to proffer pertinent issues relative to a particular person’s life that made him or her an outlier; defined as “a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience” (What is Outliers about?). To achieve this goal, the person who would be the subject of the discourse in Bethany Hamilton, a 22 year old surfer, whose left arm was severed by a shark that attacked her while she was just 13 years of age. The current essay would therefore be presented through initially providing a brief biography of Bethany Hamilton, prior to applying Gladwell’s hypothesis and theories to her experience of success. A concluding portion would highlight the significant portions that were discussed in the discourse. Brief Biography of Bethany Hamilton The life story of Bethany Hamilton was written by her, no less, with the assistance of Rick Bundschuch and Sheryl Berk, in a book entitled Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board (Hamilton, Bundschuch and Berk). Personal profile from her official website indicates that she was born on February 8, 1990 in Kauai, Hawaii from a family of surfers (Biography). At an early age of 8, she already was reported to have been victorious in “the Rell Sun Menehune event on Oahu, where she won both the short and long board divisions” (Biography par. 1). That first taste of success provided the impetus for her burning desire for the sport and ignited the innate competitive spirit. In her book, the first pages promptly narrated the unforgettable encounter with a fifteen-foot tiger shark that engulfed her left arm almost to the armpit and, as vividly described, “along with a huge, crescent-shaped chunk of my red-white-and-blue surf board” (Hamilton, Bundschuch and Berk 4). The unfateful event happened on October 31, 2003 (Biography). What made Hamilton an outlier was her ability to bounce back: completely relying on her God-given gift for resilience. After just one month after the attack, she allegedly resumed her love for surfing and professed to do whatever it takes to make her a professional surfer. Personally, one firmly believes that surfing, as a sport, is already challenging as it is since the surfer would be contending with the waves, a natural energy source which could not be controlled according to one’s whims or abilities. Likewise, the ability to balance on the surfboard also depends on two arms, aside from putting weight on one’s body and effectively steering the whole physique to ensure that one would not fall above the dangerously precarious waves. Upon Bethany’s return, details from her biography indicated winning the following: “In January 2004, she placed 5th in the Open Women’s competition; 1st place in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 NSSA National Championships; Second place finish in the ASP 2009 World Junior Championships” (Biography pars. 3 & 4). Aside from the accolades gained from surfing, Bethany garnered the following awards: • “ASP Peter Whittaker Award (2012) • New York Times #1 Best-Selling Author: Soul Surfer (2011) • Life of a Maverick Award, Cinequest Film Festival (2011) • Nominated for VH1?s Do Something Awards (2011) • Woman of the Year from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia (2006) • Honolulu Citizens Award (2005) • Mildred “Bob” Didrikson Zacharias Courage Award from the United States Sports Academy (USSA) (2005) • USA Today – Free Spirit Award (2005) • Honolulu Citizens Award (2005) • Woman of the Year from Gorbachev (Germany) (2004) • Olympic Torch Honoree – Hawaii’s First Ever Triathlon (2004) • ESPY Award (by ESPN) – Comeback Athlete of the Year (July 2004) • FOX Teen Choice Awards – Courage Award (2004) • Wahine O Ke Kai (Woman of the Sea) Award at the SIMA Waterman’s Ball (2004) • Gene Autry Award – Courage and Inspiration Values (2004) • First Pitch Honoree for both the Oakland A’s (2004) and the New York Yankees (2005) • Belief.net “Most inspiring Person of the Year” award – Finalist (2003)” (Awards & Appearances) Application of Gladwell’s Hypothesis to Bethany Hamilton’s Experience In reviewing Bethany Hamilton’s experiences and life journey, one could clearly apply some of the theories noted in Maxwell Gladwell’s Outliers. As explicitly averred, successful people “are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot” (Gladwell 19). First and foremost, Bethany was noted to have been born to a family of surfers, where she noted that her father was the most determined and committed surfer she knew in the face of the earth (Hamilton, Bundschuch and Berk). It also instrumental helped that her mother shared the same passion. So, this aspect, the parental support was already a plus factor to Bethany’s success. The second important factor was the culture and strategic location of her upbringing. Her land of birth, Hawaii, is counted as one of the top 10 best places to surf globally (Top 10 Best Places to Surf), particularly in the Oahu Island. This is actually consistent with Gladwell’s theories relating to where one’s family history and cultural legacies significantly influencing the fate and destiny of a person. The family’s faith and devoted membership to the Kauai Christian Fellowship Church (Hamilton, Bundschuch and Berk) provided spiritual support with the assistance of Rich Bundschuh, who reportedly became her spiritual mentor and advisor. As Bethany professed, “My strength came from my relationship with Christ and from the love and encouragement of my family and friends” (Hamilton, Bundschuch and Berk xxi). Thus, with the right opportunities, talent, starting at an early age, and with parental support, Bethany is a clear example of Gladwell’s “Matthew Effect” - “It is those who are successful…who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success” (Gladwell 30). With Bethany’s remarkable ability to bounce back despite the shark attack, her successful stints winning surfing competitions opened further opportunities to write her story through the book, which also provided another opportunity for it being made into a successful movie. Another theory of Gladwell, the 10,000 hour rule, also applies to Bethany and could be deemed contributory to her continued success. Accordingly, “the idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again and again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours” (Gladwell 39-40). Apparently, her love for the sport and her desire to become a professional surfer required constant and continuous practice more than what other surfers would normally delve into, especially with the disability of losing her left arm. According to an article written by Murphy, “regaining strength and balance were key to Ms. Hamilton's return to the surfing circuit. The sport requires endurance, a strong core and tremendous upper-body strength for paddling. She increased her workouts on land, focusing on leg, core and upper body strength and working out nearly twice as hard as before” (par. 3). The same article disclosed that “at least once a week she runs about two miles on the beach or will take her dog on a hike. When the waves are good, Ms. Hamilton skips her workout and spends two to eight hours surfing” (Murphy 15). She also had to address the imbalance caused by the loss of her left arm through “the Egoscue Method, a therapy technique that strengthens specific muscles to help realign the body. Ms. Hamilton has a menu of postural therapy exercises that she does almost daily” (Murphy par. 9). All of these factors fit perfectly well, in conjunction with the holistic support from all her family members, and the resources they have to sustain the drive, initiative and love for surfing. Conclusion The list of accolades and awards garnered by Bethany Hamilton proves that success indeed is still around the corner. Despite the challenges and tremendous loss of her left arm at a very young age, the incident did not detract her from pursuing her personal goal to become a professional surfer and a world-class multi-awarded athlete. Remarkably, the loss did not allow her to lose her focus on her passion, and in fact, drove her into greater efforts to spend more time, energy, passion, and commitment to achieve her goals. From among the factors that were noted to be consistent with Gladwell’s theories included being born in a family of surfers, therefore, sharing the same passion and generating much needed holistic support for the sport. Another instrumental factor was the strategic location of the family in Hawaii, a destination noted to belong to one of the top 10 best places to surf due to the natural waves that are needed for the sport. In addition, success was evidently achieved through the initial innate talent and skill in surfing that paved the way for Bethany to win local and national competitions. Her story of the shark attack likewise provided additional opportunity for exposure that created the perfect chance to write a book and to become the framework for a movie. The support from her spiritual advisor, who co-authored her book, was also a plus factor towards the successful venture. As aptly summed, “it is not the brightest who succeed… Nor is success simply the sum of the decisions and efforts we make on our own behalf. It is, rather, a gift. Outliers are those who have been given opportunities — and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them (Gladwell 267). In Bethany Hamilton’s experience and journey through life, the elements for success, as outlined by Gladwell, and through the theories of Matthew’s Effect, the 10,000 hour rule and the perfect match of opportunities present from her family, friends, location, culture, strategic location, among others, indeed validated her story of success. Works Cited "Awards & Appearances." 15 March 2012. Bethany Hamilton.com. 11 October 2012 . "Biography." 2010. Bethany Hamilton. 10 October 2012 . Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company, 2008. Print. Hamilton, Bethany, Rick Bundschuch and Sheryl Berk. Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. Pocket Books, 2011. Print. Murphy, Jen. "A Surfer and a Phenom at Her Very Core." 12 April 2011. The Wall Street Journal. 14 October 2012 . "Top 10 Best Places to Surf." 2012. Explorra. 13 October 2012 . "What is Outliers about?" n.d. Gladwell.com. 10 October 2012 . Read More