Today’s Learning: Sample Widely, Stay Inspired

Recently, a fella named David Epstein published a book called Range: Why generalists triumph in a specialised world. 

The argument he makes is as follows: range – defined as more diverse experience across multiple fields – is more relevant in today’s society than specialization because the wicked problems of the modern world require bridging experience and knowledge from multiple fields to foster solutions, be it in the field of medicine, business, sports, music. 

Those who sample widely and gain a breadth of experience more often than not excel further than those who stick to a single specialty from their youth. In fact, those who over-index on certain specialties risk narrowing their scope and breadth of experience to their detriment. 

Many people refer to Tiger Woods and Roger Federer as cases of people who honed their specialty from a young age and became the best in the world. Research suggests they are the exception, not the rule, and most people who excel in their fields have sampled several other pursuits, lending them a breadth of resources that allow them to bring ideas and inspiration from elsewhere that prevent siloing and jadedness.

In idiomatic terms, if the only tool you’ve got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and being a jack of all trades makes you a hell of a lot handier.   

In this edit, the Billabong team starring Creed Mctaggart, Joel Parkinson, Otis Carey, Jai Glindeman, Ryan Callinan, Dakoda Walters, Micah Margieson, and Harley Walters sift through the toolbox and draw some more interesting objects.

Needley guns, twins, fibreglass boogs. 

Watch the fun boys paint different lines with different brushes, all of which, in turn, should only benefit them when they jump back on more performance-geared shortboards. 

If Dave’s right, that is.