I have been proud of the increasingly subdivided professional trend in various fields; in the face of countless parents who have trained their children prematurely to "win at the starting line", I have sighed envy; in the face of the loss or helplessness of middle-aged people after retirement, I have been afraid of the upcoming retirement....
The book "The Boundaries of Growth" opened my eyes to deep laws and truths that had never been touched upon before. I know the difference between generalists and professionals, as well as the great advantages and benefits of generalists, and more importantly, understand a clear growth path for generalists.
The author, David Epstein, is the Number One best-selling author for The New York Times and a senior contributor to Sports Illustrated. His work has been praised by former President Barack Obama and included in the Best Science and Nature Writing Anthology.
Spanning sports, education, music, astronomy, art, science, medicine and other fields, the author tells the growth stories of many successful people, analyzes the ills of over-specialization, and clearly affirms the great significance of generalists in this era of rapidly changing skill changes.
I had the privilege of reading this book, and I read the deepest insight: growth has no boundaries, and the future has no possibility. How to achieve human growth and win, and help children embark on the path of generalist specialization? How will we continue to grow ourselves? I've got the answer since then.
01 Extensive learning, accumulation of diversified experience, and later professionalization
In the introduction, David details the story of the representative of the professional, the golfer Tiger Woods and the representative of the generalist, the tennis player Roger Federer. Although they are all world-renowned and outstanding athletes, their growth paths are very different.
Woods was trained by his father in golf at the age of three, but Federer grew up practicing skiing, wrestling, swimming table tennis, handball, soccer, and tennis, and although his mother was a coach, she never taught him.
Invasion and deletion
Both were successful, but in the long run, many famous tennis players retired in their thirties, while Federer, who was late to clarify his direction, remained at number one in the world. This benefited from his initial extensive learning and diverse experience.
Numerous studies have confirmed that the success of professionals occurs in only a few areas, such as Woods and the "Three Sisters of Polgar Chess", and that only these few fields also have the limitation of being powerless when rules and circumstances change.
Compared with the successful cases with fewer specialists, there are many examples of generalist success, such as Federer and the "Women's Orchestra" of the Venice Pieta Charity And Welfare Institute. It is not difficult to see from the experience of successful people that such a path has more lasting vitality.
This is also confirmed by a number of research studies:
German scientists recorded the skill level of some young players at the age of 11, and observed for two years that those who participated in more sports early and often played field ball were more capable.
Surveys of music learners aged 8 to 18 show that successful students only increase their training after they have set their direction, because the extensive early learning of various instruments has made them more aware of their strengths.
Sukhomlinsky said: "There is a very deep-seated need in the human heart - always want to feel like a discoverer, a researcher, a seeker. This need is particularly strong in the spiritual world of children. But if we do not feed this need, that is, if we do not actively engage with facts and phenomena, and lack the pleasure of knowing, this demand will gradually disappear and the interest will be extinguished along with it. ”
It can be seen that "winning at the starting line" is not necessarily worthy of respect, for the cultivation of children, we must not miss the important process of extensive learning and accumulation of diverse experience in the early stage, and the later professionalization is the best way to become a generalist, in order to win in the end.
02 The growth of a profession depends on horizontal analogies and the transfer of creativity
Beveridge said: "Successful scientists tend to be people with a wide range of interests. Their ingenuity may come from their erudition. ...... Diversification can make people's views fresh, and delving into a narrow field for too long can easily make people dull. ”
The authors of this book also believe that:
"Most of the major breakthroughs in human society have been accomplished by versatile generalists."
"Whether in sport or other fields, extreme specialization is unnecessary and even harmful."
Indeed it is. Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory of evolution, was the most curious and open-minded man in human history.
Not only did he have a broad intellectual spirit and a naturalistic ability, but in his professional development he always recorded different or opposed views, used them to attack his own views, and made horizontal analogies until he came up with a theory that conformed to all arguments.
On the contrary, Einstein, the founder of the theory of relativity, which made great contributions to the world, proposed the law of immortality of matter and the law of conservation of energy, but in the last 30 years of his life, he adhered to the "red light thinking, obsessed with the pursuit of a single theory of everything, his mathematical level basically stagnated, there was no related discovery, and he could not change his research methods."
Jobs, the "godfather of Apple," once said that apple computers' beautiful fonts were entirely due to the calligraphy classes he audited at the university.
Microsoft President Bill Gates also said in his recommendation of the book: "My passion for computers has always mixed with many other interests... I believe one of the main reasons for Microsoft's success was that we thought more broadly than other startups of our time. ”
Scientist Oliver Smith is used to "Saturday morning experiments" during scientific research. According to his words, on this day, he does not have to weigh carefully, he can break some boxes, he can do something that interests him, he does not have to be completely rational, and he can be liberated from his usual work.... In fact, this is a process of lateral thinking.
In the book "The Boundaries of Growth", the author shows many such cases from different angles, but it shows the same conclusion: in professional development, various fields or knowledge systems are never single lanes, there are invisible horizontal intersecting points, in order to walk in your own straight line, you can intersperse them and link knowledge points.
This is the migration of horizontal analogy thinking and creativity. I think that in terms of professional development, we can sometimes look around, for new fields, new knowledge, new perspectives, with a positive open mind, absorb what suits us, this is the growth path of generalists, and we will achieve long-term wins in life.
03 Lifelong learning, lifelong growth, meet a better self
While reading this book, an example stuck with me.
She was a remarkable person who grew up from ordinary people to become the CEO of the world's largest Girl Scout organization, and became the CEO of a well-known foundation, Francis Hesselburn, and I have a deep respect for her.
She also dreamed of becoming a playwright in high school, and after graduation, she entered the University of Pittsburgh Touch College. She liked to try different courses, but in her first year of college, her father died of illness, and the 17-year-old Hessel had dropped out of school to take care of her three younger siblings. It didn't take long for her to get married and have children.
After marriage, Hesselburn worked for her husband's photography studio in the community, but no matter what he did, he was down-to-earth and serious, and often took care of the weak in the community. She once said, "When they look at us, can they find themselves in our eyes?" "This shows its inclusiveness and goodwill.
At the age of 34, she was elected by the community as a Girl Scout leader as a volunteer. Originally, she took over temporarily, but the responsibility let her do it for 8 years.
Since then, she has been in various positions in the Girl Scout Agency, dealing with various things, until at the age of 54, when she became an executive director, she was forced to become a full-time job... Until she retired at an advanced age.
Hesselburn did not graduate from college, but along the way, she took a lot of courses to improve herself. Her office was filled with 23 honorary doctorate diplomas, a shiny saber awarded to her at West Point, and a presidential medal of freedom.
Her life was tortuous and fulfilling, she never made long-term plans, her plans were just to do the things that were of interest or need in the moment. Perhaps, that's what struck me. Hesselburn is undoubtedly also a model of generalist growth, and in the process of growing up, she has met a better version of herself.
There are also similar cases of continuous growth and late success, such as Vincent van Gogh, such as the group of retired veterans... In my mind, there are already examples that have touched me, such as Deng Yaping, who entered the university after retiring, and Grandma Moses, who became one of the famous and most prolific original painters in the United States in her later years.
All of the above, in my opinion, is the best growth. Lifelong learning, lifelong growth, and meeting a better self are the real advantages and ultimate goals of generalists, and they are also the growth paths we must pursue to achieve the true meaning of life.
04 Conclusion
In everyone's life, it is bound to go out of their own professional road, and the road of professionalism is beyond reproach, but becoming a generalist will be the just need of the times.
In the initial stage of life growth, extensive learning, accumulation of diversified experience, and later specialization is the preferred path; in the stage of professional development, horizontal analogy and migration, exerting potential, and achieving long-term win will be a wise move; people to middle age, environmental transformation or farewell to familiar fields, continue to new fields, lifelong learning and growth, and discover the unknown self. That's my biggest takeaway.
About professionals and generalists, about growth and success, there is a deeper interpretation in the book "The Boundary of Growth" that is worth reading.