特に自分が好きな最終章からの抜粋。

"Even those who don't reach the frontiers of field can still enjoy challenge of taking control of their own lives and improving their abilities. A world in which deliberate practice is a normal part of life would be one in which people had more volition and satisfaction.

And I would argue that we humans are most human when we're improving ourselves. We, unlike any other animal, can consciously change ourselves, to improve ourselves in ways we choose. This distinguishes us from every other species that has ever lived."

"Many jobs that existed forty years ago have disappeared or else have changed so much force today should expect to change careers two or three times during their working lives. As for the children being born today, no one knows, but I think it is safe to say that the changes won't be slowing down.

How do we as a society prepare for that? In the future, most people have no choice but to continuously learn new skills, so it will be essential to train students and adults about how to learn efficiently. With the technological revolution there are new oppotunities to make teaching more effective. It is possible , for example videotape real-world experiences of doctors, athletes, and teachers and create libraries and learning centers where students could be trained in such a way that avoids having to learn on the job and risk the welfare of patients, students, and clients.

We need to start now. For adults who are already in work world, we need to develop better training techniques - based on the principles of deliberate practice and aimed at creating more effective mental representations - that not only will help them improve the skills they use in their current jobs but that will enable them to develop new skills for new jobs. And we need to get the message out : you can take charge of your own potential. 

But it is the coming generations who have the most to gain. The most important gifts we can give our children are the confidence in their ability to remake themselves again and again and the tools with which to do that job. They will need to see firsthand - through their own experiences of developing abilities and are not held hostage by some antiquated idea of nature talent. And they will need to be given the knowledge and support to improve themselves in whatever ways they choose.

Ultimately, it may be that the only answer to a world in which rapidly improving technologies are constantly changing the conditions under which we work,play and live will be to create a society of people who recognize that they can control their development and understand how to do it. This new world of Homo exercens may well be the ultimate result of what we have learned and will learn about deliberate practice and about the power it gives us to take our future into our own hands."

明日をめざす前向きな文章で、自分は好きでよく見返します。