The Talent Code: Greatness isn't born. It's grown

I'd recommend you read this in parallel to learning a new skill. It will allow you to try to think and behave in your learning journey in the manner the book is presenting and just realize the progress as you go.

Una lectura muy amena e instructiva. Con numerosos ejemplos representativos.

I'll say it right away: Dan Coyle's book did much to inspire my quest to "crack the code" of writing. In fact, I named my own book and learning system The Writing Code: The Only Comprehensive Guide To Writing Well in All Fields (The Writing Code Series) . My Coyle-inspired quest transformed my approach to writing -- and to teaching writing to people of all ages and backgrounds. Years ago, when Dan Coyle started work on "The Talent Code," he called me looking for contacts with the baseball world of Curacao. I had just written Little League, Big Dreams , which featured the Curacao team in the Little League World Series. He told me he was trying to figure out the secret of talent "hot spots," and he was intrigued that such a tiny country could produce such talent. I didn;t really know what he was trying to do, but I was happy to help. When "The Talent Code" came out, it was just the book I was looking for. I had started teaching writing at Yale and SUNY-Purchase and I was working on a book about the 1963 March on Washington ( Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington was published in 2010). I had embarked on my own quest to bring my own writing to a higher level and to help my students transform their writing. I read everything I could about learning and the brain. And I started to develop a number of simple tricks to help students to write better and faster. Then Dan Coyle's book came out. I was blown away by his clear, lucid description of "deep practice" and "myelenation." These concepts supplied the missing elements of my own quest. The idea, in a nutshell, is this: We learn better when we break complex skills into their smallest parts, and then focus intensely on those pieces. As Coyle says, the old saying that "practice makes perfect" is not completely right. In truth, practicing the right way, with with total concentration -- and repeating simple actions, again and again -- is what makes the difference. So to master a skill like writing, we need to break it down, isolate each simple skill, and make each one interesting and usable. And we need to figure out a way to "burn" the skills into the brain. I brought that insight into my teaching and writing. What a difference it makes! Following the approach that Dan Coyle explains in this masterpiece, I found it much easier to apply -- and teach -- all of the essential skills of writing. With this system, almost anyone can master all the basic skills of writing in a fraction of the time you spend in school. And, as Dan Coyle suggests, it's fun. Because when you make progress, when you gain real mastery, you develop confidence and a desire to practice what you've learned. I hope this doesn't sound like a commercial. I just want to say how grateful I am for this book -- not just for me and my students, but for anyone who cares about learning. It's hard to imagine a more important book for education and the changing economy that depends so much on creativity.

Great insight backed up with science and real life examples

Excellent book. The core content of the book is a very restricted subject though, and so the author does a fabulous job of providing anecdotes, scientific research, and plenty of analysis. This ensures that the book is almost the perfect size for its content matter. It's an enjoyable read, and if you pay enough attention, you might gain a few useful insights on how to make your own life better! Highly recommended.

Throughout my life, I have never been really good at anything. Then, I started programming and really enjoyed. But, even though I've been programming for a few years, I felt like I've been stuck at the same skill level. This book has given a reason for why I felt this way and how to fix it. This book has helped been not feel self conscious around people who are clearly more talented and smarter than me. Now, all I have to do is work harder and dedicated part of my time to improving my craft. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be in the top of their craft and especially to adults who have felt like it's too late to start learning a new skill or craft.