My friend Jimmy was working on his business, Minaal. Every once in a while, when you’re really working hard, you need to come up for air and take a break. You want to do something that uses the opposite side of your brain to give the analytical side a break. Not sure if that’s how the biology works, but it feels like it.
Anyway, his break was to practice the Dr. Dre art of “Forgot about Dre”, a gangsta rap classic from 2001. He and I both like karaoke, and that’s our traditional duet.
In between rapping and getting back to work, he fired off an email to me suggestion a blog post: the importance of having varied interests.
Tonight I was hanging out with a few of my favorite people in Tokyo. We were talking about people we met while traveling, and one person in particular that we had met at the same time.
You know, I said, he was actually a really good guy. He was very smart and really nice… but at the same time, I didn’t necessarily feel like I wanted to hang out with him again.
I didn’t mean it as an insult, just as an observation. Perfectly good guy, but I didn’t feel compelled to spend more time with him. Why?
There are a finite number of activities and interests available. It’s a big number, but there are a lot of people out there. Everyone knows someone who’s into computers. Everyone knows someone who’s into dogs. Most of us probably know someone who’s into juggling, sushi, biking, hiking, dancing, or any other subject.
Sometimes people are only into that one thing, though. Or at least that’s the side they present. And those people, in contexts where you’re not trying to dive deep into that one subject, tend to be pretty boring.
An analogy might be musical notes. Any note can sound wonderful, but that doesn’t mean you want to hear it in isolation all the time. Combined with other notes, though…
What makes people interesting, what gives them depth and character, are the intersections between interests. One of my friends loves cooking, programming, and colors. While I may have thought about each of those things, I never really thought much about the intersections between them. She has, and that gives her an interesting perspective.
Another friend of mine is into acupuncture, Japanese, and social skills. His perspective is also unique and interesting.
It’s not just in other people, of course. That’s just the visible example. Varied interests also provide a rich internal atmosphere. At various points in time I’ve been into ballet, programming, traveling, languages, small engine repair, pickup, and poker. I’m constantly amazed at the parallels I see between those fields.
And it’s amazing how skills from one translate into another. Pickup made me a better poker player. Programming made me better at fixing engines. The confidence in uncomfortable situations built through travel helped me do really well in ballet.
These parallels and intersections are always a surprise. You don’t do one because it will help the other. You do one because you allow yourself to follow a thread of interest down the rabbit-hole, and you’re pleasantly surprised when it makes you better at something else. You do many things because you know that your unique insights will come between two subjects, not on one alone.
And through developing these varied interests, you become a better person. Not better than anyone else, just better than you used to be. By becoming better at one thing, you become better at anything. Each new pursuit gives you a different dimension through which you can see the world. And the unique and unlikely combination of interests you develop gives you something valuable to share with the world.
Focus is a good thing. If there’s one activity or subject you love, then dedicating years, or your entire life to it is a good thing. Often, though, the best way to get to those depths in one subject is to have interests in others as well. That’s how you make the breakthroughs others can’t.
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Photo is from a market in Budapest.
Currently in Vegas! Just built a raised tatami tea room in my place and bought a cheap car!
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