Our Strive for Success
“Outlier: something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body” (Gladwell 3), before reading this book I had a surprisingly misconstrued understanding of what this word truly represented. The author, Malcom Gladwell, describes success in various ways, the most shocking part of his description of success is the lack of internal characteristics that traditionally define it. Gladwell instead focuses on external factors, such as timing or circumstances, to exemplify is main idea: one is not simply born with success, they must strive for it. Most narratives of success portray the beneficiary with an extremely high level of respect, and tend to overlook all of the hidden advantages or opportunities that person or persons may…show more content… This is what Gladwell wants his audiences to be aware of: there are multiple invariable and external circumstances that allow people to become successful. “It makes a difference where and when we grew up. The culture we belong to and the legacies passed down by our forebears shape the patterns of our achievement in ways we cannot begin to imagine. It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words” (Gladwell 19). The tallest tree in the forest doesn’t survive because it was the best, it just happened to have the right combination of sunlight, rich soil, and no other external disturbances to reach its maximum height. Contrary to the common idiom, it’s not always about what is on the inside, it’s about what is on the outside that truly counts. Gladwell suggests that outliers reach their victory through a combination of capability, opportunity,
