Homo Sapiens: We are Worriers (and Warriors), addendum to original post
by Doctor Laurence H. Miller on 06/12/12
When Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed his crippled plane safely on the Hudson River, in Jan of 2009, the whole world cheered. He, his crew, and his passengers had all been in grave danger; a catastrophic "bird strike" had destroyed both engines of their jet. Without any power, they could not possibly reach an airport. But now, thanks to the pilot's amazing dexterity and judgment, their troubles were over. You'd think "Sully's" (the captain's nickname) worries were over. But you'd be wrong. For several days after his heroic performance the pilot was unable to sleep. It was not from lingering fears of the averted horrific crash that he tossed and turned: He was playing the flight over and over in his mind because he was troubled by the thought that "he might have done something better" than perform a perfect river landing.
What is THIS about?! He wants something "better" than 100% survival of his crew and passengers? There must be something wrong with him?! Or perhaps there is something right with him! Perhaps the reason this pilot was able to make a miracle landing on water was because he was always worrying about doing his job perfectly!
When you are a passenger on a plane going down on the Hudson River with no engine power, you definitely want your pilot to be a guy who worries MORE than he needs to. Someone who feels compelled to work endlessly perfecting his craft, whatever it may be. Whether it's a surgeon replacing one of your heart valves, or an engineer building a suspension bridge over the Hudson River, or a concert violinist preparing a Beethoven sonata...
As the punchline goes to the old joke about someone asking how to get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice!
In this regard, the author Malcolm Gladwell has written a revealing book entitled, Outliers. In it, he explores the characteristics of successful people, such as Bill Gates and the Beatles. One chapter, called Ten Thousand Hours, convincingly shows that it takes that long working at something to become a True Master.
