Specialist vs Generalist – The Passion Within

It has been an interesting few days for me… Have you ever had one of those times when you feel the Universe is trying to tell you something? You’re not sure what, and you’re definitely not sure why, but you know that there are messages being thrown at you from great heights with odds of them occurring against all realms of possibility and probability.

I know that I have been interested in many different things from a young age. That doesn’t read right. What I meant to say is that I know a little about a lot of things, and aside from the occasional immense interest in something that lasts for a few days, I cannot confess to being so involved in something that it has taken laser-like focus and immense attention (and intention). I have never had a “passion“.

As I write that I’m struggling with believing it’s true. Yet since high school I have followed a calling that does interest me – a great deal – but I wouldn’t say it is a passion of mine. I have spent most of my working life in the field of Information Technology, and if you check my LinkedIn page, you’ll see that I have been employed in that industry for more than 20 years. This is where my dilemma rears its head.

If you believe in the old adage that becoming an expert in something takes applying it for 10,000 hours, then I suppose you could say I’m there – 45 weeks by 38 hours by 20 years is just over 34,000 hours! Wow… that hurts just looking at it!

That “expertise” has come from the fact that time has methodically and masterfully simply ticked by – second, by second, by second, by second…….. by second.

Without realising it, I have immersed myself in the world of electronics, technology and data – which I love, but I would certainly not say it is my passion.

I started this post looking to present the ideals of becoming a specialist – becoming so involved and enamoured in an activity that you yearn to return to it any time that you get pulled away by other necessities of life. By discovering your passion and becoming a specialist at what you love by focussing on becoming great at it, becoming one of the experts in that field.

And yet, this post has taken a slight turn. While I still would like the take-away message of this post to be about you finding your passion and charging it down with all the fervour you can muster, the message has become more about the fact that if you don’t consciously discover and chase after your passion, not only is the outcome that you’ll become a part of the world of the generalist – able to do a lot of general activities in various industries, but worse still is you may wind up becoming a specialist in a field that may not enamour you at all!

Please don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying I don’t love technology and where I see it influencing our lives massively in the coming decades. What I am saying however is that without that focussed effort on a passion, on becoming a specialist in something that really turns you on, that makes you lose sleep simply because time ceases to exist when you are involved within it, you may become a specialist in a field that doesn’t have nearly the same amount of passion, desire or drive.

So, take control of how you spend your time. Take the time to recognise what really gets you going and charge it down. I’ve heard and read many times on podcasts and personal and business blogs that when you leave school, take the time to discover your passion no matter what it is and don’t concern yourself with how much money you’ll make from it, because when you do become a specialist at it – one of the best in the world – people will pay for your specialist knowledge and experience, and handsomely.

Know and follow your passion, become a specialist at it, and…

Live Your Ultimate Life