It’s Debatable – Well-Rounded vs Single-Minded

It’s Debatable – A Youth Perspective

Well-Rounded vs Single-Minded: Which Path Leads to Success?

What does it take to succeed in life?

It’s a hefty question and one that weighs on young people as they make big life-changing decisions. What should we be doing if we want to stay ahead in the grand game of life?

One common answer is that success requires single-minded determination. You need to find your area of greatest strength (an area of passion, genetics, or relative skill) and leverage the heck out of it. Pour all your time, effort, money and willpower into becoming the very best you can be in that field. The greatest lawyer. The greatest parent. The greatest footballer.

But that’s not the only theory for long-term success. Equally prominent is the idea that well-roundedness is the path to the top. You should strive to find balance in every area of your life. Develop yourself in the same way that you would build homes in Monopoly, upgrading each individual property in the set before going again. We should develop as a student, an employee, a runner, a musician, and an artist all at once.

The principles behind both theories could not be more different. Specialising says time and effort should all be directed in one direction, while generalising calls for you to split it among differing areas. That’s a pretty tough dichotomy and young people often struggle under mixed messages.

And the difficult part is that celebrities and family alike give us no clear indication of which path is best. Michael Jordan, one of the greatest athletes of all time, left basketball at the height of his talent to play a year of minor league baseball. He broke the cardinal rule of specialisation, leaving behind his area of expertise to spend all his time training for a sport he would never be truly great at. And yet, he still cherishes the ‘wasted year’ he spent with baseball.

“It allowed me to go back to basketball with a stronger passion” – Michael Jordan

Following his return, Michael Jordan went on to win three more NBA championships and ultimately cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats.

But did he succeed because he developed himself in other ways or despite it? That’s the great divide between those who subscribe to single-mindedness versus well-roundedness.

For Grade 12 student Abram, it’s always been pretty clear which way he leans. As a future student of medicine, he’s had to structure his schedule and subject choices around maximising grades. He feels that specialising in life provides you with the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of whatever you’re focusing on. While he recognises the benefits of having many wide but short paths available, it’s the narrower but longer road of single-minded dedication that holds the most appeal at this stage.

“I feel like specialising in life opens up a narrow but long road. You can become the master, and that’s always such a good feeling” – Abram, Brisbane

That’s exactly the appeal of single-minded dedication. You go further and you get there faster.

Let’s say you are a budding author determined to get your first book published. That’s what you want more than anything. So, you cut your Korean language class, take a hiatus from your run club, and skip seeing your friends on the weekend. Everything in your life becomes dedicated towards that single goal of getting a book published. Many would argue that in a world of limited time, that level of focus is simply the most effective path forward.

Giovanni, a recent Italian high school graduate, captures a slightly different view. He attended the Classical School in Cagliari, Sardinia, which provided him with a specialised education in the humanities (philosophy, history, Italian, Greek, English, and Latin literature). Yet despite his school’s specialised focus, Giovanni still learnt about mathematics and science, in addition to being a top footballer and an outgoing social person.

“It’s important to experiment with all paths, to remain open to each one so you can practice them in a basic way […] build a foundation of knowledge” – Giovanni, Sardinia (translated from Italian)

Let’s return to our example of the budding author. Would they be happier if they’d kept up those run sessions? Do they miss seeing friends on the weekend? Are they even secure in their day job anymore?

And most of all, what happens if they don’t get that book deal after all? I mean, they poured everything into that.

Therein lies the double-edged sword of single-minded focus. You maximise your chances of success but also increase your reliance on it.
Despite all that, Giovanni agrees that ultimate success in your chosen field requires a level of specialisation. On the other end, Abram recognises the great benefit of being able to exist in more circles and succeed in more areas through a broader approach.

In fact, the biggest takeaway from was just how nuanced they feel with regards to specialising. No one was dogmatic. Everyone felt that in an ideal world we’d be able to do a bit of both.

Still, it’s a hard balance to find. On the one hand, to be well-rounded is to have success at every turn, diverse interests and a balance. That sounds like the right choice at face value, especially considering workplaces/universities so often call for well-rounded applicants and you likely hold a variety of interests.

But perhaps all that well-roundedness is a mistake. In fact, maybe you’re just sanding away all your edges compared to someone else who spends their time sharpening one talent down to an arrowhead.

So, at the end of the day, would you rather be well-rounded and ready to roll wherever life takes you, or an arrow – sharp and strong for one purpose only? Fortunately, there’s no one right answer.

If you’re happy with things the way they are, then that’s probably the right approach. Still, if you feel like you’re just spinning your wheels in one area, maybe give something else a go (perhaps you’ll feel less burnt-out with that business idea if you actually see your family or try picking up the guitar again)

The same goes for our more well-rounded friends. If you want to finally run a marathon, then maybe it’s time to stop splitting your fitness time between the gym, weekly tennis and your cycling class.

Put simply, we could all benefit from taking the best of both mindsets. We should be flexible enough to explore and thrive in any situation but also have the resilient focus to reach the heights of whatever you aim for. Just remember that it’s never too late to try something new or to dedicate ourselves.

The world is your oyster however you choose to explore it, single-minded or well-rounded.

Author: Leonard Cavallaro.

Images credits: Unsplash.