Mediocre at several things
My oldest brother and I were out for a run.
He's an elite level track and cross-country coach so I wanted his perspective:
“Would cross-training in other sports like cycling or swimming improve my running times?”
Without missing a beat this was his answer:
"Cross-training is a great way to be mediocre at several things. My athletes want to be great at running so that's the thing we focus on."
Immediately, I considered the broader application of his straightforward advice.
In the workplace we encourage a form of cross-training that leads many toward being mediocre at several things without becoming a medalist at anything.
Too often, we associate “niche” with “ditch”.
Narrow feels naive.
Wide feels wise.
Perhaps the opposite is closer to reality.
Give yourself permission to be “narrow-minded” for a moment:
Where do you want to be great?
How could your talent and passion drive your success in that area?
What would happen if you went full force toward that goal?
Now the question is:
Are you willing to run the race?
