The Quest to Be Good at Everything
I’ve had a feeling for a while that getting to the 80th percentile in everything I do should be my goal.Imagine a person that is the 80th percentile in distance running, powerlifting, swimming, basketball and Nordic skiing.That person would be the best all-around athlete you’d likely meet.The opportunity cost of getting beyond the 80th percentile is so high you should spend that time getting some other skill up to the 80th.That may feel like being a master of none but the trade off is that you’re pretty decent at everything.I know enough about surfing, politics, world travel, programming and music(among other things) that I can hold a conversation with anyone even though I’m not the best at any of them.This has felt like a huge advantage over people who focus on one thing at the expense of being more well rounded.