Life is a giant playground

As we become adults and specialize in a given domain, we gain knowledge that inherently becomes tied to our egos since it’s a defining part of who we are.

For example, as a software developer, I am expected to know about basic computer science concepts, and if I trip up when explaining a given topic to a peer, it’s a shame because I should know it pretty well, but clearly don’t. Doubt creeps in, and we start to think, “if I don’t know this basic concept, then what do I know?”.

As Anne-Laure Le Cunff highlights in a piece titled “Stop looking for The One”, we don’t need to “define [ourselves] through a specific expertise”. Instead we can decide to optimize for a wide array of opportunities and see life as a giant playground.

Learning entirely new things about which we have no previous knowledge is a great way to push the “specialization bias” aside. When we learn something new, we’re not expected to know anything. What a freeing sensation!

We will fail (big time) at first, and that’s okay. We just have to start somewhere.