From time to time, we all need inspiration -
And we don’t have to look far to find it.
Whether it’s motivational Instagram posts, wise words from historical figures,
or gushing Hollywood awards speeches,
inspirational messages are broadcast on an industrial scale.
And a lot of what they have to say is remarkably similar:
if you want to achieve something great,
set your sights on a goal and keep striving for it, no matter what.
In short, “Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams.”
But powerful though this mantra might be, what if it’s not always great advice?
What if single-minded determination isn’t the only
— or even the most effective —
route to success?
In his 2019 book Range,
scientist turned journalist and author David Epstein makes the case
for a different kind of inspiration, which has the potential
to change the way we think about our goals, how to achieve them,
and even who we are.
The “don’t give up” mentality seems to tell us
that you can achieve anything with enough dedication.
Sometimes this is justified by citing the 10,000 Hour Rule:
the idea that this is the amount of practice it takes to master any skill,
typically over a period of 5 to 10 years.
Now this level of training certainly is necessary for some skills,
but ten thousand hours doesn’t leave much time for other interests,
so fulfilling your dreams becomes a matter of focus –
no side-hustles, no distractions.
And sure, that works for some people.
The trouble is though,
locking yourself in to one option means locking yourself out of many more,
any of which might have been a better fit for your tastes and talents –
what economists call "match quality".
You might find your vocation in journalism, which you only got into
after spending some time writing for a music magazine,
which only came about after you interned at a record label,
a job recommended by a friend you made when you joined a death metal band.
This process isn’t just a matter of learning what’s out there to have a go at:
it’s also about discovering whats *in here* –
what hidden potentials may lie within you.
That's why it's important to experiment with different possibilities
without committing straight away –
to go through what Epstein calls a "sampling period".
Take American politician Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.
As the youngest woman ever to serve in the US Congress,
you might think she’d be a textbook example of single-mindedness.
But before she was elected to the House of Representatives at twenty nine,
she’d worked in bars, started a publishing company,
and as a teenager was such a promising microbiologist
that MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory named an asteroid after her!
She had a broad sampling-period, before choosing a career.
Working in politics, which covers a wide range of issues,
it helps to have a broad range of experience
– basic scientific literacy, for example –
and as the world grows increasingly complex,
range is becoming a valuable asset in more and more jobs.
This brings us to the second benefit of sampling,
which Epstein calls "the outside view".
Carrying over knowledge and skills from different fields
can provide insights others miss,
especially those who’ve spent 10,000 hours on just one thing.
As the saying goes:
if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
A good example of range in action is Daniel Levitin, whose first career
was as a guitarist, saxophonist, and record producer.
But after a decade or so in the music industry,
he became so interested in how the brain processes music
that he began studying cognitive neuroscience,
and has since made important advances in the understanding of memory.
In the other direction,
Brian May abandoned a promising career in astrophysics to play guitar in a band.
Decades later – after moderate success – he returned to finish his Ph.D.,
and worked with NASA on their 2015 flyby of Pluto.
Now you may be thinking,
“Ok I see the connection between music and the brain,
but what has astrophysics got to do with rock music?”
Well, sometimes the outsider advantage comes from being able to
transfer knowledge and skills across comparable situations –
but it doesn’t have to.
Jumping between fields, even when there’s no obvious similarity,
can make you more flexible within each one,
training your brain to be more creative.
Did I mention that Levitin is also a comedian
who performed with Robin Williams?
And Brian May has patented a device for viewing 3D photographs?
Having a range of interests doesn't mean they cancel each other out;
each can enhance the others.
What I admire about May, Levitin, and Ocasio-Cortez,
and what I think we can learn from them,
is that they did follow their dreams –
but without closing their minds to other possibilities.
When new dreams came along, they were willing to take a risk, and follow those.
It’s tempting to cling to old ambitions because they’ve become part of who we are,
but who we are isn’t a constant.
As we grow and change it makes sense that our dreams will do the same,
and when that happens, rather than reciting motivational catchphrases,
we need to be open to seeing where they lead.
It’s natural to worry that changing track will leave us playing catch-up;
but in the long run,
the broader range of experience we gain while seemingly ‘falling behind’
could be the very thing to push us ahead.
Which means that being willing to give up on last year’s dreams can set us free
to pursue the bigger, better ones we might have tomorrow.