As human beings, we have this incredible capacity to learn. And because we can learn, we can accumulate knowledge and develop skills in nearly any field. Never played a piano before? No problem! Get a second-hand keyboard, watch a few tutorials on YouTube, practice daily, and within one month you’ll be able to play a complete song.
This model can be applied to nearly any area of knowledge or skill. Because of this incredible learning ability, you have the capacity to become anything you want, or at least you have several viable options.
Yet, although you can become anything you want, you cannot become everything you could want. Life is not long enough; you don’t have the time. It is therefore essential for one to choose a field (of a few of them). Focusing on one or a few fields will allow you to spend the time that is needed to acquire the foundational knowledge, develop and refine your skill through practice, and earn experience over time.
You can become anything that you want, but you cannot become everything you could want. Focus is key.
#BTAOE (e.g. where physical disposition is advantageous e.g. being shorter than 6ft in height would be seriously disadvantageous in the game of basketball)
Clipped from James Clear’s newsletter.