You Should Read Everything

Joseph Oliver
Nov 3 · 3 min read
Photo by Laura Kapfer on Unsplash

Specialize or you’ll never be great. You’ll never make the big $$$. That’s what I was told.

The problem is that I am ADH- wait, what was I talking about? I get bored easily. Also, “specialization is for insects.”

After a short lifetime of varied interests, I began to fear I’ve wasted my time being a generalist and that my career will never be “great.” All of my friends got degrees and picked established career paths. My path was/is fun, but winding.

I have started coming across more varied views of specialization in recent years.

  1. Scott Adams — combining skills into a T-shaped model then going deep, to create a new skill. This is like the Blue Ocean Strategy for careers.
  2. Range by David Epstein — a 2019 book highlighting research that indicates generalists are more successful in life. Specialists are actually shown to become more wrong in their field. The more specialized you become, the more out-of-context you become. The big picture is important.
  3. Looking through history, some of the greatest minds were actually generalists, and that likely contributed to the achievement they are most known for. Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, and Ernest Hemingway are a few.

With this in mind, my attitude has changed significantly toward my ever-growing kaleidascope of interests.

My new principles around learning and specialization:

  • Specialize in being you. Your varied interest will intersect in a unique and valuable skillset. It is natural to take your gifts for granted. There are people in the world who will gain value from your perspective and gifts.
  • Double down on natural skills and areas of interest. If you are a good speaker, speak more and improve more — become world-class. If you are interested in biology — learn about all of the different subjects and dive deep into what interests you.
  • Read anything and everything.

The last point, and the title of this post, is the key to it all.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect explains that the ignorant don’t know they are ignorant. You cannot hope to know what you don’t know unless you know it. So, it is hopeless?

By reading anything and everything that sparks your curiosity, your knowledge will start compounding and you will become “aware” aka not ignorant about the ideas you are exposed to.

I once learned a simple economic principle from a Ray Dalio video that revolutionized my personal finances. Later, I applied the same concept to time management and it made my days 10x more productive. All because I watched a video explaining the economic machine. I have no interest in economics whatsoever! But being exposed to the one idea changed my entire life. I will write about the experience in-depth someday soon.

Don’t be afraid to have hobbies that have nothing to do with your career, or to read outside of your comfort zone. I believe many discoveries are made this way, just like the economic example above. Over time, you will find new subjects that interest you, and your tastes will evolve into new areas. Just like compound interest, it starts growing slowly and eventually will pay massive dividends.

My challenge: go pick up a book about a subject you have no interest in. If you like it, keep reading. If you don’t like it, stop reading. Repeat this for the rest of your life.

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