10,000 hours

You might not think that a computer mogel like Bill Gates and a prophet of God like President Thomas S. Monson have much in common, but you would be wrong. Not only do they have two things in common, but you have those same things in common as well.

In 1968 homes, didn't have computers. Neither did schools or a lot of colleges. Computers were big and took up an entire room and many people were unsure of what to do with them. However, a wealthy thirteen-year-old kid going to a private school had access to one because the school bought one. Later, that same kid, worked on a computer that a local college had on campus. He spent hours in front of computer screens programming and figuring out this wonderful new machine. He would sneak out of his house in the middle of the night to ensure he got even more time with the computer. Hours and hours were spent working with computers, until by the time he was a sophomore at Harvard University he dropped out and started a computer company with a friend. The kid is Bill Gates and that company is Microsoft.

There were two major contributing factors of Bill Gates' success. He had access to computers and he spent a lot of time working with them. "Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours." (pg 46 "Outliers The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell) Bill Gates spent over 10,000 hours on computers before he was a sophomore in college during a time when most people had never even seen a computer. In order to gain true expertise in a skill/subject/etc, you need to have opportunity and time.

In 1950 at the ripe young age of 22, a man was called as a bishop to be in charge of a demanding and aging ward for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A calling that was not sought after and for which he received no pay. Between that calling and a short calling as a counselor in the bishopric previous, he spent an estimated (if estimating 20 hours of service a week as bishop and 10 hours a week for being a counselor) five thousand four hundred and sixty hours in the service of our Lord. Those were hours spent praying for guidance, listening to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, serving, leading, and being trained by the Lord. "President Harold B Lee once described Tom's five years of service as a bishop...equaling that of a bishop serving twenty-five years in any other ward." ("To The Rescue The Biography of Thomas S. Monson" by Heidi S. Swinton)

Then at the age of 27, this same man was called as a counselor in the stake presidency. This calling gave him an additional two thousand and eighty hours of leadership service for the church. That brought him up to eight thousand five hundred and forty hours of total leadership service. When he was 31, he was called as mission president and that required more than full time hours. In fact, other than sleep he only got 8 hours a week off from the calling. During that time he gained an additional five thousand four hundred and eight hours of training from the Lord.

By the time President Thomas S. Monson was called to be an apostle for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in October 1963 at the age of 36 he already had over thirteen thousand nine hundred and forty eight hours in leadership service; making him a true expert. However, this was still the beginning of his training. President Monson was an apostle for forty-five years before being called to be a prophet, seer, and revelator for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Lord made sure that President Monson had the opportunity to gain all the expertise he needed to lead us today and President Monson put in all those hours.

We have been blessed with the knowledge he gained during his lifetime. Some of his well known sayings and pearls of wisdom are:

"Never postpone a prompting."
"What is most important almost always involves the people around us."

"We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

"Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty."

"To find real happiness we must seek outside ourselves."

"Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save."

President Monson's most recent message is: "As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light in the lives of others."

This is President Thomas S. Monson's message. Our Heavenly Father called him to be the leader of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because he is truly an expert at listening to the Lord and leading. The Lord made sure that he was given the opportunity and President Monson has put in the hours. It is now the world's privilege to be blessed by his expert advice and counsel.

What are you doing with the opportunities the Lord gives you?

What are your 10,000 hours of expertise going to be in?

You have been given and have made opportunities for yourself. Whether they are in the business world like Bill Gates or in ways that serve your fellow man like President Thomas S. Monson, those opportunites are yours alone. The time you have spent in those opportunities are your legacy. In the scriptures, it states that the Lord needs everyone in building up His church. Everyone has a role to play and a purpose. "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12)

We all have time and opportunity. Will you follow the advice of President Monson and use your time to bless others? Will you lead others to Christ? What are you doing with your time?

Bill Gates, President Thomas S. Monson, and you have been given time and opportunity. Bill gates helped bring computers into homes and President Monson helps bring us closer to the Lord. The opportunities are different for everyone and what you do with your time is your choice, but everyone is given those two things. With time and opportunity we decide the legacy we leave in this world.