Outliers written by Malcolm Gladwell uses several stories as examples of how specific variables can predict certain outcomes. The Matthew Effect, the 10,000 Hour Rule, and Joe Flom's Three Lessons are all examples of people's success stories. People can predict an outcome based on certain variables such as birthdays, the number of hours worked, or when and where someone was born. Having said this, the reader should remember: “People are not born out of nothing. We owe something to parenthood and patronage.” The first example is the Matthew effect. The Matthew effect is the probability that a professional hockey player will be born in the first three months of the year because the cutoff date is January 1st. If a hockey player is born in the first three months he is more mature, stronger and more experienced than other players of his age. The same concept goes for baseball, the cutoff date for an age group or league is July 31st. Most professional baseball players' birthdays fall in August. Similar to hockey and baseball, European football also has the same pattern where more players in advanced leagues are born soon after the cut-off date. The Matthew Effect also works at school. The advantage of a child born earlier in the year is that he or she has higher achievement as he or she is typically the oldest in his or her class. The second example is the 10,000 hour rule. The 10,000 hour rule states that the more opportunity a person has to practice something, depending on their age, the more likely you are to be better at it than someone who practices less. Additionally, and perhaps equally important, is having the opportunity to practice a particular task or skill. CEOs and professional athletes don't just work harder than... half the paper... Borgenichts to succeed. Hard work is a key aspect of happiness. In this example the specific variables for being a successful lawyer are a Jewish heritage, having parents who teach and show the value of hard work, and being born in the right era. Their country, culture, era and family background all play a role in greater opportunity. Outliers is a non-fiction novel written by Malcolm Gladwell about people's success stories and how they got to where they are today. The Matthew Effect, the 10,000 Hour Rule, and Joe Flom's three lessons are all examples of how to look at people-specific variables to determine their success. A person's birthday, how long they have been doing something, the opportunity they have, and a person's ethnicity are all variables in explaining what helped them become who they are today. Works Cited"outiers" written by Malcolm Gladwell