5 ms·

People Who Have “Too Many Interests” More Likely to Be Successful

66 points by jxub 9y ago

artfordly 9y ago
Well, there's this and there's this Buffett quote I think about every time I want to start/do something new > The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything. [0] I've always attributed Buffett's success at least partially to his razor-sharp focus. [0] https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-says-this-is-1-simple-habit-that-separates-successful-people-from-everyone-else.html https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-says-thi...
colek42 9y ago
I am really not that great of a programmer. I am 35 and was not paid to write code until I was 31. Before I learned to code I spent about 10 years in the military, infantry to be specific. The leadership and problem solving skills learned in that domain have served me extremely well in my current position and pushed me into a project lead position before my first year of employment was over. I have found solving problems outside of your normal problem domain allows you to develop fresh ideas inside of your domain.
- sa46 9y ago
  Nice, I'd like to hear your story if you don't mind sharing. I have a similar background. Infantry for 6 years and switched to programming about two years back.
  - colek42 9y ago
    I work with a few as well. I have found a lot of nerds live in the Infantry, most like myself, just needed some direction when we were younger, which Uncle Sam was willing to provide.
- EADGBE 9y ago
  This! HN is full of people like us, however we're mostly silent. Adaptability as a core skill is an excellent asset to have.
gringoDan 9y ago
Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert A. Heinlein
- mathgladiator 9y ago
  Thanks for this, I've seen it before but lost the link and was unable to find it. This is a great to-do list.
- I_complete_me 9y ago
  I've done all but four of them. Not counting the final one. Hope I will though.
mathgladiator 9y ago
I have too many interests, and I recently learned how to delegate and use others to enhance my life and give amazing employment opportunities. For instance, I have a junior adventurer whose role is to go places in advance, take photos, tell me a story. This helps me focus my time on the best experiences when I go so I limit my disappointment.
- vanattab 9y ago
  You pay someone to pre-vacation for you? Let me know when your hiring..
  - mathgladiator 9y ago
    I am thinking of turning it into a summer internship for people that work on my farm during the winter.
- gitgud 9y ago
  You have someone who tests out adventures for you? Wouldn't hearing about his experiences and stories ruin the mystery and adventure when you go? That sounds disappointing to me
  - mathgladiator 9y ago
    Yes, I'm experimenting with it. Basically, I work many hours on work that I love, but that leaves me few opportunities for my own adventures on the weekends since I also have a farm to tend to. I've currently committed a few thousand dollars to see how I feel about this as an expense. My junior adventurer is currently scouting three zoos to get a sense of which is best, and what animals are like, and also what times works for which animals. Either I could go on all three, or I could pick one. Well, I could do a bunch of research, or I could delegate. What I may end up doing is funding many of these expeditions that are all within two hours of me, and then put them in a community blog. If this works out, then I would then do the same thing for local farms and steal ideas and do interviews to publish.
Arbalest 9y ago
There is certainly an element of truth, but I feel the life coach formulaic decomposition is heavily at play here. This to me signifies that there are a lot of elements which are necessary to execute this effectively which are either not mentioned, not connected or straight up unknown. The trap is that this is read, a moment of "I am already interested in loads, I am destined to be successful" ...when there is a lot more to the story. Given the value of rarity (as mentioned), even knowing all this is not enough.
- michaeldsimmons 9y ago
  Hey - I'm the author of the article. You bring up some good points. I agree that being a world-class polymath is difficult just like being world-class at anything is challenging. Some of the challenges specific to polymaths are: 1. Not really any formal training in the school system on how to connect disciplines. 2. Sometimes people consider take polymath to mean not having a core area of expertise. In the article, I make the case that a modern polymath is someone who learns skills across disciplines and combines them in their core area of specialty to create a skill set that puts them in the top of their field. 3. Many environments are not conducive to being a polymath. So, it's important to find fields, job, companies, etc. that are.
alexpetralia 9y ago
Shameless plug for my newsletter because I write exclusively about mental models which transcend disciplines: https://alexpetralia.github.io/newsletters https://alexpetralia.github.io/newsletters I have found writing it a fantastic learning resource for myself.
- michaeldsimmons 9y ago
  Hey Alex - I'm the author of the article, and love your site. Is there a good email to reach you at?
Blackstone4 9y ago
As someone with many interests and a mix of work experience. I find this article encouraging. I've been a quantitative analyst, software engineer, and investment analyst. I have a MEng in Mathematical modelling and a CFA Charterholder. Sometimes I worry my skill set and past experience are too diverse.
profalseidol 9y ago
Define Successful
nubbins 9y ago
I’d like this to be true as someone who is tempermentally a bit of a polymath but professionally I’ve seen the returns to specialization go up as the entry bar gets higher. Nothing in the article convinces me that what applies to a few rare geniuses whose names we know because they were so exceptional applies to me. Having multiple skills can give you flexibility, but I still think you need many years in one discipline to make it worthwhile. It is a golden age for autodidacts of course so for those willing to put in the time to go deep maybe it will pay off.
- michaeldsimmons 9y ago
  I'm the author of the article. Good comments. A few quick thoughts. 1. I agree about being an autodidact. It is hard to imagine someone being a successful polymath without one. 2. The article isn't making the case that people should avoid specialization. It is making the case that people should learn across disciplines and then apply what they learn in their core area of specialty.

66 points by jxub 9y ago

Well, there's this and there's this Buffett quote I think about every time I want to start/do something new > The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything. [0] I've always attributed Buffett's success at least partially to his razor-sharp focus. [0] https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-says-this-is-1-simple-habit-that-separates-successful-people-from-everyone-else.html https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-says-thi...

colek42 9y ago

I am really not that great of a programmer. I am 35 and was not paid to write code until I was 31. Before I learned to code I spent about 10 years in the military, infantry to be specific. The leadership and problem solving skills learned in that domain have served me extremely well in my current position and pushed me into a project lead position before my first year of employment was over. I have found solving problems outside of your normal problem domain allows you to develop fresh ideas inside of your domain.

sa46 9y ago
Nice, I'd like to hear your story if you don't mind sharing. I have a similar background. Infantry for 6 years and switched to programming about two years back.
- colek42 9y ago
  I work with a few as well. I have found a lot of nerds live in the Infantry, most like myself, just needed some direction when we were younger, which Uncle Sam was willing to provide.
EADGBE 9y ago
This! HN is full of people like us, however we're mostly silent. Adaptability as a core skill is an excellent asset to have.

gringoDan 9y ago

Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert A. Heinlein

mathgladiator 9y ago
Thanks for this, I've seen it before but lost the link and was unable to find it. This is a great to-do list.
I_complete_me 9y ago
I've done all but four of them. Not counting the final one. Hope I will though.

mathgladiator 9y ago

I have too many interests, and I recently learned how to delegate and use others to enhance my life and give amazing employment opportunities. For instance, I have a junior adventurer whose role is to go places in advance, take photos, tell me a story. This helps me focus my time on the best experiences when I go so I limit my disappointment.

vanattab 9y ago
You pay someone to pre-vacation for you? Let me know when your hiring..
- mathgladiator 9y ago
  I am thinking of turning it into a summer internship for people that work on my farm during the winter.
gitgud 9y ago
You have someone who tests out adventures for you? Wouldn't hearing about his experiences and stories ruin the mystery and adventure when you go? That sounds disappointing to me
- mathgladiator 9y ago
  Yes, I'm experimenting with it. Basically, I work many hours on work that I love, but that leaves me few opportunities for my own adventures on the weekends since I also have a farm to tend to. I've currently committed a few thousand dollars to see how I feel about this as an expense. My junior adventurer is currently scouting three zoos to get a sense of which is best, and what animals are like, and also what times works for which animals. Either I could go on all three, or I could pick one. Well, I could do a bunch of research, or I could delegate. What I may end up doing is funding many of these expeditions that are all within two hours of me, and then put them in a community blog. If this works out, then I would then do the same thing for local farms and steal ideas and do interviews to publish.

Arbalest 9y ago

There is certainly an element of truth, but I feel the life coach formulaic decomposition is heavily at play here. This to me signifies that there are a lot of elements which are necessary to execute this effectively which are either not mentioned, not connected or straight up unknown. The trap is that this is read, a moment of "I am already interested in loads, I am destined to be successful" ...when there is a lot more to the story. Given the value of rarity (as mentioned), even knowing all this is not enough.

michaeldsimmons 9y ago
Hey - I'm the author of the article. You bring up some good points. I agree that being a world-class polymath is difficult just like being world-class at anything is challenging. Some of the challenges specific to polymaths are: 1. Not really any formal training in the school system on how to connect disciplines. 2. Sometimes people consider take polymath to mean not having a core area of expertise. In the article, I make the case that a modern polymath is someone who learns skills across disciplines and combines them in their core area of specialty to create a skill set that puts them in the top of their field. 3. Many environments are not conducive to being a polymath. So, it's important to find fields, job, companies, etc. that are.

alexpetralia 9y ago

Shameless plug for my newsletter because I write exclusively about mental models which transcend disciplines: https://alexpetralia.github.io/newsletters https://alexpetralia.github.io/newsletters I have found writing it a fantastic learning resource for myself.

michaeldsimmons 9y ago
Hey Alex - I'm the author of the article, and love your site. Is there a good email to reach you at?

Blackstone4 9y ago

As someone with many interests and a mix of work experience. I find this article encouraging. I've been a quantitative analyst, software engineer, and investment analyst. I have a MEng in Mathematical modelling and a CFA Charterholder. Sometimes I worry my skill set and past experience are too diverse.

profalseidol 9y ago

Define Successful

nubbins 9y ago

I’d like this to be true as someone who is tempermentally a bit of a polymath but professionally I’ve seen the returns to specialization go up as the entry bar gets higher. Nothing in the article convinces me that what applies to a few rare geniuses whose names we know because they were so exceptional applies to me. Having multiple skills can give you flexibility, but I still think you need many years in one discipline to make it worthwhile. It is a golden age for autodidacts of course so for those willing to put in the time to go deep maybe it will pay off.

michaeldsimmons 9y ago
I'm the author of the article. Good comments. A few quick thoughts. 1. I agree about being an autodidact. It is hard to imagine someone being a successful polymath without one. 2. The article isn't making the case that people should avoid specialization. It is making the case that people should learn across disciplines and then apply what they learn in their core area of specialty.