10,000 Hours

Main Point: Everybody wants to be significant but very few are willing to put in the work to achieve it. Are you willing to make the investment in order to leave a lasting impression?

Vital Info Before You Get Started: The following info will help you contextualize this song so you can have a great discussion about it with your kids.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: We at The Source for Youth Ministry believe that certain elements in our youth culture can serve as good discussion jump starters with students. At the same time, we would never hope to introduce teens to a negative influence that they haven’t already encountered. This balance is a delicate one. In our experience most teens, churched and unchurched, keep pretty current with music and music videos like this one. Thanks to YouTube, MTV.com, Spotify, and iTunes, the most popular music videos and songs are free to access only a click away. If you decide to use this, do so by catering it to fit your family’s needs.

• Dan + Shay, the country/pop duo comprised of musicians Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, currently have a song sitting in the #4 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart…with a chance to rise even higher thanks to their collaboration on the tune with Justin Bieber.

• The two met in December of 2012 and immediately began writing songs. It wasn’t long before recording labels came knocking; the duo signed to Warner/Chappell and received even more recognition when other acts such as Rascal Flatts and Kelly Clarkson offered opportunities for joint ventures.

• So far, they’ve had two songs top the Hot Country Songs Chart , but 10,000 Hours may prove to be their biggest work to date.

Introducing the Song – You Say This:
OK, this song contains two interesting pieces. On one hand, it’s just a love song, simple as that. The artists sing about how much they love their wives, and to be honest, it’s a fairly sweet song. But on the other hand, the song references a psychological theory that claims it takes about 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, for example, becoming an acclaimed writer, or mastering the guitar, or winning the Super Bowl MVP. The genius aspect of this song is that it combines both elements in its message. Essentially, the artists sing, “I’m willing to spend 10,000 hours learning how to love you the best I can!” Take a look at the lyrics sheet as we play the music video.

The Music Video:
The music video can be viewed for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2E71oe0aSM

Song Lyrics: 10,000 Hours

Do you love the rain, does it make you dance
When you’re drunk with your friends at a party?
What’s your favorite song, does it make you smile?
Do you think of me?

When you close your eyes, tell me, what are you dreamin’?
Everything, I wanna know it all

I’d spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more

Oh, if that’s what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours

And I might never get there, but I’m gonna try
If it’s ten thousand hours or the rest of my life
I’m gonna love you (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh)

Do you miss the road that you grew up on?
Did you get your middle name from your grandma?
When you think about your forever now, do you think of me?

When you close your eyes, tell me, what are you dreamin’?
Everything, I wanna know it all

I’d spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more

Oh, if that’s what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours

And I might never get there, but I’m gonna try
If it’s ten thousand hours or the rest of my life
I’m gonna love you (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh)
I’m gonna love you (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh)

Ooh, want the good and the bad and everything in between
Ooh, gotta cure my curiosity
Ooh, yeah

I’d spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more

Oh, if that’s what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours

And I might never get there, but I’m gonna try (Yeah)
If it’s ten thousand hours or the rest of my life
I’m gonna love you (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh)
I’m gonna love you (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh)
Yeah
And I…
Do you love the rain, does it make you dance?
I’m gonna love you (I’m gonna love you)
I’m gonna love you

Three Questions to Ask in the Car (with thoughts to dive deeper with your kids): 

Q: How would you summarize this song’s message?
A: The singers are talking about the length they’re willing to go to in order to love their wives to the best of their ability. They are willing to spend 10,000 learning how to love them, and if that’s not enough, then the rest of their lives.

Q: Is there anything you are willing to work at for 10,000 to master?
A: Parents, you may want to talk about their hobbies, their academics, their interests, their relationship with God, etc.

Q: Who are some people that you know who have worked really hard and accomplished their goals?
A: Parents, you may want to talk about athletes and their teams, musicians and their bands, or friends and family to help make the point that we rarely achieve all we want on our own.

Where to Take It from Here: Wherever it feels natural. If these questions lead to a longer discussion on the topic, wonderful!  (There is a guide just after this paragraph that helps you do just that.) If your kids are barely uttering grunts, don’t get discouraged – the next time it feels right, try out another song. Keep engaging them.

For Deeper Discussion:
(If your kids seem into diving in deeper and looking at what the Bible has to say on the subject, the following discussion guide can help take you there.)

Want help getting your teenager engaged in conversation? CLICK HERE for a helpful article from our “Parenting Help” page providing you with 3 Essentials to Talking with Today’s Teens.

Transitional Statement – You Say This:
So, in the song, we hear Dan, Shay, and Justin sing about their willingness to invest 10,000 hours – or the rest of their lives – trying to become the very best husbands they can be. They want to love their wives the best they can and that is certainly a worthy endeavor. Most of us have some huge goals for our lives, and that’s awesome, too! In fact, I’d say that everybody wants to be significant in some way, but very few of us are willing to put in the work to achieve it. Are you willing to make the investment in order to leave a lasting impression?

Discussion Questions:

1. HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: As we get started, let’s all take a second to share how we’d spend 10,000 free hours.

2. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: I really like the “love song” part of 10,000 Hours, but what I’d like us to focus on for the next few minutes is the theory that it takes 10,000 hours to really master something and develop a great talent for it. Think about your various activities, interests, and studies for a moment. How close are you to investing 10,000 hours into mastering it?

3. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Is there anything in life worth practicing/training 10,000 hours to master? If so, what is it?

4. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: What advice might God give you in order to help you succeed?

Read the Following Passage:

Proverbs 6:4-11 (NLT)

Don’t put it off. Do it now! Don’t rest until you do.  5 Save yourself like a deer escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.  6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise!  7 Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work,  8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.  9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? I want you to learn this lesson:  10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – 11 and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

5. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: This book of the Bible was written by a king named Solomon to help his son become the best ruler, husband, father, friend, and follower of God that he could be. Of all the advice we just read in these verses, which sticks out to you the most? Why?

6. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: If you had to put King Solomon’s message in your own words, how would you say it?

7. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: King Solomon could have used any animal as an example for us to model: horses, lions, bears, eagles, etc. Why did he tell us to take a lesson from ants? (Parents – Ants do some remarkable things to protect their way of life. First, they build incredible structures underground to protect themselves. Second, they have an army ready to defend the mound at a moment’s notice. Third, they are always preparing for the future through the ongoing collection of food. Lastly, they police themselves to make sure every ant is healthy and able to keep serving the colony. In other words, ants bust their butts day in and day out to ensure the best for one another!)

8. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: OK, so we’re talking about people trying to become great at something, whatever that something may be. Do you think most people actually accomplish their goals and reach the level they’re aiming for, or not? Why? What separates those who do from those who don’t?

9. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Is your plan/desire something that God is going to bless and help you accomplish? What are the conditions we must meet to have His help? (Parents – God’s Kingdom is big and lots of different people do lots of different things in it. However, they all have a few things in common. First, those people are trying to make much of God, not themselves. Second, they are trying to accomplish His will, not their own. And lastly, most of these people want to positively impact the lives of others, not just their own. We need to do the same!)

10. HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: What will you do this week to move yourself closer to accomplishing your goal?

Wrap Up – You Say This:
During out time together, we listened to a great new song by Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber entitled “10,000 Hours.” The message of the song was a simple one: they were willing to spend the rest of their lives trying to become the best husbands they could be for their wives. 

But that naturally raises some questions: What are you and I willing to spend 10,000 hours trying to perfect? And, Is the goal for our benefit…or someone else’s? Is it so people will praise us…or praise God? 

None of those questions are worth answering if you don’t have the right answer to this question: Are you willing to work long and hard to reach your goal? The only right answer is YES! If you’re not willing to work hard, you don’t need to worry about anything else. 

In the Bible, God’s Word tells us to work as hard as ants. Although small, these little critters may be one of the most powerful forces on Earth. They move tons and tons of soil every day, store even more tons of food, and protect one another from all the predators in the wild. They are a busy bunch…but their lives depend on their work ethic!

Here’s the simple advice I would give you to wrap up our time together. First, work hard. I mean really hard. There are plenty of teenagers who are willing to spend their lives doing little more than being entertained. There’s nothing wrong with some entertainment, but we can’t make it a lifestyle. Make sure you’re working hard on your goal. 

Second, make sure that your goal is a godly one. Is your goal all about you? Is your goal to make yourself big, or to make God big? Is your goal to serve yourself…or to serve others? Is your goal going to make people think you’re the hero…or will they think God is the hero? If you want God’s help and blessing on your life and plans, your life and plans have to be in His will. God wants to use each of us to help others come to know Him.

Close in Prayer

Written by David R Smith