I'm not sure. When it comes to a lot of things people tend to have unrealistic expectations. The concept of mastery in itself is pretty vague. If someone practices 10,000 hours will that make them a world champion? Probably not, since there are many factors that come into play. Also being 'the best' is bullshit since it changes over time. Take any sport and you'll have a million guys arguing who was the best, and in another few years someone else will be called 'the best.'
What I will say is this. If you dedicate 10,000 hours of real practice to something you will be really fucking good. Better than 99%+ of the population.
The example I always give from my own life is BJJ. I am not sure how many hours I'm at, but it's definitely not even close to 10k. When I started I was absolutely terrible(I remember getting smashed consistently for 6+ months.) In that time I must have seen more than 500 people come and go. Since I started there's probably 3-4 guys who are still training. Sure there are 21 year old collegiate wrestlers who come in and kick my ass, but for the most part my experience and skill level is higher than a lot of people now due to practice.
Whether the rule is real or not, my takeaway is to be consistent and dedicated to what you want to be good at it.
What I will say is this. If you dedicate 10,000 hours of real practice to something you will be really fucking good. Better than 99%+ of the population.
The example I always give from my own life is BJJ. I am not sure how many hours I'm at, but it's definitely not even close to 10k. When I started I was absolutely terrible(I remember getting smashed consistently for 6+ months.) In that time I must have seen more than 500 people come and go. Since I started there's probably 3-4 guys who are still training. Sure there are 21 year old collegiate wrestlers who come in and kick my ass, but for the most part my experience and skill level is higher than a lot of people now due to practice.
Whether the rule is real or not, my takeaway is to be consistent and dedicated to what you want to be good at it.