✒ Books read in 2021 #04
The idea is not new, that psychologists have highlighted that the most common path to excellence was a sampling period, followed only later by a narrowing of focus, increased structure, and an explosion of practice volume.
There is nothing wrong to have set goals (e.g. getting a law or medical degree or PhD) and stick with it. And all those 10,000 hours rule (Gladwell), grit theory (Duckworth), and the Tiger Mother theory all work, especially in a “kind” learning environment. But it is actually riskier to make that commitment before you know how it fits you.
The challenge we all face is how to decide what you should be before first figuring out who you are, then capture and cultivate the benefit of breadth, diverse experience, and interdisciplinary thinking in a world that increasingly incentivises hyperspecialisation.
The author offers this one sentence of advice: Don’t feel behind.