Some people love reading.
Some people hate it.
Some people don’t know how to read.
I’m sure you have heard the expression, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.” — Mark Twain
What do you like to read? How do you like to grow your intellect?
There are many different things to read: magazines, books, pamphlets, journals, dictionaries, textbooks, emails, articles, blogs, and text messages.
There are also so many other wonderful avenues of information. If you consider video, the list expands and expands. There are documentaries, TED Talks, interviews, and so many others. There is audio, face to face, hands-on, and everything else that you can think of. You can learn from anything and everything.
What do you like to listen to? How do you like to grow your intellect?
My sister has recently started doing some distance running, completed her first half marathon this past May, and has her first full marathon slated for October.
With all this endurance training and running, she has emphatically shared that she loves listening to TED Talks while running and working out.
We can learn from anything. We are living within the Information Age and can learn at any time and in any place. How do you like to grow your intellect?
One of the challenges we face with intellectual growth is which way to grow.
Generalization vs. Specialization
There has always been the debate between professional generalization and specialization. Some people strive to become generalists who know a little about a lot of things but really aren’t an expert in any area. Then there are the specialists that go narrow and deep on a topic and strive to become masterful and a true expert.
I can’t be one to say which is right and which is wrong. But, I can say this, it is valuable to determine which you’d like to be and in which area.
Perhaps you are a software developer who wants to lead their own team and develop a gaming franchise. At that point, if you’re going to be managing things at the business level, you might find more value in becoming a generalist and developing skills and traits that empower you to put a strong team together. This could be much more valuable for your goals than becoming the best designer of automotive graphics as that would only be a small segment of your gaming franchise.
If you’re a race car driver who aspires towards racing in F1, you probably don’t need to spend a lot of time racing on dirt tracks or establishing a name for yourself in the BMX world. Those could be great experiences but, there are only 20 F1 drivers. You can’t just be a good racer and become one of those 20. You have to be the best in the world. There are almost 8 billion people in the world, and that means you have to be in the top 0.00000001%. These people are not just “good”, they are the best.
It’s important to understand which you are trying to become. You need to dictate to yourself how you are going to grow your intellect. How do you need to grow your intellect? Are there gaps that exist? Fill them in. Get to work.
Connecting Information and Goals
Are you looking to learn something or are you looking to learn just anything?
If you are looking at TED Talks, that’s great. However, if you want to be an expert on a single subject matter and become a specialist, this should not be your primary source of intellectual growth.
TED Talks are a great source of information about different things—novel subjects mostly… yet, they are not great sources of information for specific topics. TED Talks are not typically about the same topic. You could learn some great information points, but you will not garner the same level of depth as you would if you were watching a specific YouTube channel that focused on your desired subject matter.
For example, my sister is aspiring to become a surgeon and is preparing for the MCAT. If her goal through these audio and video lessons is to prepare for the MCAT, she would have a really tough time if she were striving to do that through TED Talks. There aren’t many TED Talks that discuss the MCAT specifically. The existing TED Talks would be quickly exhausted and reviewed. She would have much better success with study books, YouTube videos, personal interviews, or tutoring if she were striving for an in-depth understanding of MCAT study strategies.
Now, I hope you understand why I say it’s important to understand what you are working towards. If you are striving for something, you had better know why. How do you like to grow your intellect? How do you need to grow your intellect?
It’s very rare for someone to wake up in the morning and decide to commit to a career specialization change. Typically, people will do front-end research and preparation to ensure proper fit. At that point, if there’s a potential fit, the work begins and the focus would be transitioned from a general understanding of potential career specializations to the singular specialization that has been selected.
Connecting Information and Goals
Understand if you’re digging a well or a river.
Make sense?
Determine if you are going narrow or deep.
Do you want to know a little about a lot or a lot about a little?
The best thing to do is to reverse engineer your goals. Where do you want to get to? Then get serious.
Every mountaintop is within reach if you just keep climbing. — Barry Finlay
Find something you're great at and don't let anyone tell you you're not good enough. — Harrison Wendland
God could snap His fingers and change the world but He doesn't, He taps on our hearts. — Jimmy Rollins
It’s time to start building your Super Powers!
This month we are focusing on intellectual life. Next month we focus on career.
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