Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
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- Author：David Epstein
- ISBN：0735214484
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Summary
What's the most effective path to success in any domain？ It's not what you think。
Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill， play an instrument， or lead their field should start early， focus intensely， and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible。 If you dabble or delay， you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start。 But a closer look at research on the world's top performers， from professional athletes to Nobel laureates， shows that early specialization is the exception， not the rule。
David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes， artists， musicians， inventors， forecasters and scientists。 He discovered that in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists， not specialists， are primed to excel。 Generalists often find their path late， and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one。 They're also more creative， more agile， and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see。
Provocative， rigorous， and engrossing， Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency。 Failing a test is the best way to learn。 Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers。 The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area。 As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans， people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive。
Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill， play an instrument， or lead their field should start early， focus intensely， and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible。 If you dabble or delay， you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start。 But a closer look at research on the world's top performers， from professional athletes to Nobel laureates， shows that early specialization is the exception， not the rule。
David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes， artists， musicians， inventors， forecasters and scientists。 He discovered that in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists， not specialists， are primed to excel。 Generalists often find their path late， and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one。 They're also more creative， more agile， and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see。
Provocative， rigorous， and engrossing， Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency。 Failing a test is the best way to learn。 Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers。 The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area。 As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans， people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive。
Reviews
CW
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Generalist shines in the current era。 Broad knowledge looks slow but the impact later is higher。 Also don't judge yourself by comparing to others。 Everyone is different。 Generalist shines in the current era。 Broad knowledge looks slow but the impact later is higher。 Also don't judge yourself by comparing to others。 Everyone is different。 。。。more
Ethan Liebermann
，
Approachable and thoughtfully written。 Love the author’s contrarian approach to conventional wisdom about specialization。 Changed the way I see the world in that sense。 Only negative was occasionally would meander too far down a particular rabbit hole so as to lose my focus。 Otherwise very well done and worth reading。
Igor Pejic
，
A brilliant argument for building diverse skills instead of specializing too narrowly too early on。 Everybody actively managing their career in a VUCA world should read it。
Fotis Koutoulakis
，
Okay， before I start， I have to admit that reading this book was a whole exercise in confirmation bias for me， as I already believed deeply some of the ideas that they author presented in the book， as this has been my modus operandi for years: I started my knowledge repertoire with Computer Science， but soon found myself diving into neighbouring fields such as Engineering and Mathematics， and then expanded to topics that appear more remote， like Forensics， Economics， Biology and Philosophy， sinc Okay， before I start， I have to admit that reading this book was a whole exercise in confirmation bias for me， as I already believed deeply some of the ideas that they author presented in the book， as this has been my modus operandi for years: I started my knowledge repertoire with Computer Science， but soon found myself diving into neighbouring fields such as Engineering and Mathematics， and then expanded to topics that appear more remote， like Forensics， Economics， Biology and Philosophy， since I always believed that breadth is more of a competitive advantage than depth is （especially in today's economy）。Having said that， I give at least 4 stars to the book for the content （it's a very well researched treatise of the advantage of breadth versus depth of expertise）， raising it to my final review of 5 stars for the storytelling。 。。。more
Yuvaraj Karthick
，
Once the author has us with the understanding that specialization doesn't work and that having a range of abilities （ that's the whole book in a sentence）， he goes uncontrollably into examples after examples。 This book has a great topic to discuss on。 Could have been narrated better。 Could be my fault， that I expected too much out of the topic。 Somehow lost the flow。 Once the author has us with the understanding that specialization doesn't work and that having a range of abilities （ that's the whole book in a sentence）， he goes uncontrollably into examples after examples。 This book has a great topic to discuss on。 Could have been narrated better。 Could be my fault， that I expected too much out of the topic。 Somehow lost the flow。 。。。more
Ryan Goodyear
，
I'm going with a full 5 stars--this was a really fresh read for me。 It covered a lot of ground I hadn't seen before （perhaps it's out there and I just never to find it） as well as provided contrary looks at ground covered by other pop-sci books。 It also put terms and data to things I have experienced in my collection of hobbies and interests。 Really enlightening all around。Broadly speaking， it looks at how hyper-specialization is a compelling story。 To borrow from the conclusion: “Told in retros I'm going with a full 5 stars--this was a really fresh read for me。 It covered a lot of ground I hadn't seen before （perhaps it's out there and I just never to find it） as well as provided contrary looks at ground covered by other pop-sci books。 It also put terms and data to things I have experienced in my collection of hobbies and interests。 Really enlightening all around。Broadly speaking， it looks at how hyper-specialization is a compelling story。 To borrow from the conclusion: “Told in retrospect for popular media， stories of innovation and self-discovery can look like orderly journeys from A to B。” But is not only not the predominate predictor of world-class success， but also impedes the way work gets done in some domains。 the book explores the artists and scientists who made their contributions only by combining many different areas that they had explored （but not specialized in） during their lives。 My gems:Ch1“AI systems are like savants。” They need stable structures and narrow worlds。“Cognitive entrenchment”Ch 2--“Flynn’s great disappointment is the degree to which society， and particularly higher education， has responded to the broadening of the mind by pushing specialization， rather than focusing early training on conceptual， transferable knowledge。”。。。“interdisciplinary critical thinking”--“Mostly， though， students get what economist Bryan Caplan called narrow vocational training for jobs few of them will ever have。 Three quarters of American college graduates go on to a career unrelated to their major。。。after having become competent only with the tools of a single discipline。”“Fermi problems”Ch 3--“The psychologists highlighted the variety of paths to excellence， but the most common was a sampling period， often lightly structured with some lessons and a breadth of instruments and activities， followed only later by a narrowing of focus， increased structure， and an explosion of practice volume。”--‘The jazz musician is a creative artist， the classical musician is a re-creative artist。”--Suzuki method mimics natural language acquisition。--“Parents with creative children make their opinions known after their kids did something they didn’t like， they just did not proscribe it beforehand。”Ch 4--“If the teacher didn’t already turn the work into using-procedures practice， well-meaning parents will。 They aren’t comfortable with bewildered kids， and they want understanding to come quickly and easily。 But for learning that is both durable and flexible， fast and easy is precisely the problem。”“Desirable difficulties”“Generation effect” - Being forced to generate answers improves subsequent learning even if the generated answer is wrong。--There are a lot of modern advertisements for learning without scientific backing。 Learning strategies that have scientific backing make up a very short list， including spacing， testing， and using making-connection questionsCh 5--use lots of analogies and make them seemingly disconnected from the current field of focus--positive feedback loops--“Successful problem solves are more able to determine the deep structure of a problem before they process to match a strategy to it。”--“A problem well-put is half-solved。--Discusses Johannes Kepler’s contributions to scienceCh 6 --explores Van Gogh’s meandering professional life--“The willingness to jettison a project or an entire area of study for a better fit” is an important skill--stay “attuned to whether switching is simply a failure of perseverance， or astute recognition that better matches are available”--Army learned that dangling money didn’t help retain junior officers， but allowing them more control over match fit did。--“One of the compelling aspects of sports goals is how straightforward and easily measurable they are。”Ch 7 --study of how Frances Hesselbein tripled minority membership in Girl Scouts--Phil Knight knew he wanted to be a pro athlete。 When he realized he wasn’t good enough， he shifted to find a way to stay involved in sports。--Darwin bounced around and took an unpaid internship gap year on the HMS Beagle--“The most momentous personality changes occur between ages 18 and one’s late twenties， so specializing early is a task of predicting match quality for a person who does not yet exist。”--“If you get someone in a context that suits them， they’ll more likely work hard and it will look like grit from the outside。”--premature optimizationCh 9 --Specialist inventors skyrocketed after WWII， peaked in 1985， then declined pretty dramatically“In kind environments， where the goal is to re-create prior performance with as little deviation as possible， teams of specialists work superbly。”Ch 10“Narrow experts are an invaluable resource， but you have to understand that they may have blinders on。”。。。”take facts from them， not opinions。”“The best forecasters view their own ideas as hypotheses in need of testing。”Good phrase: “science curious”Darwin was a fox， Einstein was a hedgehogCh 11--“Is this the data that we want to make the decision we need to make？” - ask this whenever someone simply puts data in front of you。--At NASA， “reason without numbers was not accepted。 In the face of an unfamiliar challenge， NASA managers failed to drop their familiar tools。”--wildland firefighters lose races with fires when they don’t drop their tools “Dropping one’s tools is a proxy for unlearning， for adaptation， for flexibility。”“There are fundamentals--scales and chords--that every member must overlearn， but those are just tools for sense-making in a dynamic environment。”--Cultural congruence has no influence on any measure of corporate success whatsoever。Ch 12“An enthusiastic， even childish， playful streak is a recurring theme in research on creative thinkers。”“Networks that give rise to creative triumph。。。have porous boundaries between teams。”“Atypical combination of knowledge” vs。” “conventional combinations of previous knowledge” 。。。more
Gaurav
，
Have you ever felt like you're not good at any one thing in life？ Do you feel lagging behind your peers？ And if there is lack of direction and purpose in the activities you do？If yes， then this book might comfort you。 It highlights the folly of headstart and why hyperspecialization from an early age is not how the best in the world come to be。 The key is in sampling different occupations and finding a thing of high match quality - high correlation between your abilities and who you are。 The auth Have you ever felt like you're not good at any one thing in life？ Do you feel lagging behind your peers？ And if there is lack of direction and purpose in the activities you do？If yes， then this book might comfort you。 It highlights the folly of headstart and why hyperspecialization from an early age is not how the best in the world come to be。 The key is in sampling different occupations and finding a thing of high match quality - high correlation between your abilities and who you are。 The author differentiates between Kind （chess/ golf） and Wicked environments （the real world） - and that the future is for generalists who can navigate the uncertainty and merge learnings from different fields and apply it in a totally unrelated field。 It urges to experiment with your career or hobbies and figure out what you want before finalizing on one or many things。 David's writing is similar to the other authors in this genre of Science writing - Malcolm Gladwell， Susan Cain etc。 Each chapter is full of anecdotes and encompasses a beginning， a middle and an end。 It keeps your interest but gets predictable sometimes when you don't remember the names of so many characters from the anecdotes。 Even then， I'm giving this book a 5-star because， for me， it transformed the stigma attached to Jack of all trades; master of none" in to a virtue。 Definitely， a book to reread。 。。。more
Haris Riswandy
，
[I read in indonesian version] Saya cukup terkejut dangan cara penguraian nya yang luas。 Buku ini memberi angin segar bagi para pencari jati diri， spesialisasi， apapun itu。 Yang saya tangkap cukup jelas adalah， tidak ada kata terlambat， yang ada， kita terus bereksperimen dengan diri kita， hingga akhirnya menemukan nyaman kita。Setiap pemimpin sejati adalah generalist， yang tahu specialist yang paling tepat untuk menjadi leader di team kecil nya masing-masing。 😬
Nick
，
Epstein delivers an important， compelling， and timely message， but this is a classic case of a polemic best suited for a long-form essay being needlessly stretched out over an entire book。 Each successive chapter feels increasingly predictable and redundant， and I saw nothing in the book's latter half that hadn't already been persuasively argued in the opening chapters。 Epstein delivers an important， compelling， and timely message， but this is a classic case of a polemic best suited for a long-form essay being needlessly stretched out over an entire book。 Each successive chapter feels increasingly predictable and redundant， and I saw nothing in the book's latter half that hadn't already been persuasively argued in the opening chapters。 。。。more
Paul
，
Don't feel behindThis one piece of advice sums up an amazing book that explores the differences between hyper specialization and broad cross-disciplinary inquiry。 The book explores how our culture tends to notice and reward the former， well downplaying and disincentivizing the latter。The author argues that we need an innovation ecosystem that allows both specialization and broad inquiry to flourish。 Don't feel behindThis one piece of advice sums up an amazing book that explores the differences between hyper specialization and broad cross-disciplinary inquiry。 The book explores how our culture tends to notice and reward the former， well downplaying and disincentivizing the latter。The author argues that we need an innovation ecosystem that allows both specialization and broad inquiry to flourish。 。。。more
Fredrik
，
Tldr; We are often led to believe that to be good at something we need to put in 10。000 hours。 However， the author makes the case that real life is not like Golf where there are set rules， in contrary the real world is complex and ever changing。 Thus， by having a generalist perspective/ broad experience， one can triumph in a complex often specialized world。
BonLivre
，
A great audiobook listen， each chapter was a thorough essay and exploration of an incredibly vast range of topics and historical figures。 In fact， there were several that I wanted to earmark and send out to historical fiction authors to request a full novel （the orchestra， for example）。 Will Damron provided a crisp narration。
Ben Thurman
，
Read this bookEpstein offers detailed examples of why a mix of ideas across disciplines has value in a constantly changing world。 I will definitely use insights from the book in my work and personal life。
Anant Vijay
，
A must read for everyone especially anyone looking to a career change。
Callie
，
As an educator， I have always cringed a little when I hear students being asked “what are you going to BE when you grow up？” as if somehow at fifteen we have the know how to decide on forever。 I loved Epstein’s book because it hits on so many of the reasons that early specialization is a disservice to our youth。 I read it slowly， one chapter at a time， and each one gave me something to think about and apply to my teaching。
Moira
，
Nothing ground-breaking but great selection of examples。Didn't find this book particularly illuminating （perhaps because of my 'generalist' background and profession）。 Of course lateral/analogical thinking， creativity， curiosity/open-mindedness， seeing the big picture， openness to failure/inefficiencies， experimentation and all these good things that he attributes to 'generalists'/generalist thinking are important。 But I'm still not sure in practical terms what these mean to a generalist， which Nothing ground-breaking but great selection of examples。Didn't find this book particularly illuminating （perhaps because of my 'generalist' background and profession）。 Of course lateral/analogical thinking， creativity， curiosity/open-mindedness， seeing the big picture， openness to failure/inefficiencies， experimentation and all these good things that he attributes to 'generalists'/generalist thinking are important。 But I'm still not sure in practical terms what these mean to a generalist， which is why I didn't find Range such a rewarding read。 Perhaps I should feel more assured about not having really specialised in anything？ （Yet it is hard to escape the feeling that the pure generalist is doomed to dissatisfaction without having built expertise in anything。 My ideal is the T-shaped person （which is consistent with what Epstein seems to be arguing for）。）That said， I greatly appreciated the range （haha） of examples he used， from anthropology， education， music， science， sports， art， management， technology， etc。 Those were really compelling。 If I were a specialist in some narrow field， I would be convinced that I had to take an interest in domains beyond my own specialisation， be open to views from outside the field， and so on。 But at the same time， I don't really know any specialists who have locked themselves into narrow fields in the way Epstein describes （though perhaps such people live in some rarefied world that I have no access to）。 。。。more
Jonathan Mulia
，
"Range" is about the advantages of having a broad knowledge in a world that try to hyperspecialized everything。 The author tried to explain how people with "range" in a lot of field from sport， medicine， to astrophysics in solving problems and how to actually implement their way of thinking to your own field of work。 I really recommend this book to young generation who currently pursuing certain degree or interests。 "Range" is about the advantages of having a broad knowledge in a world that try to hyperspecialized everything。 The author tried to explain how people with "range" in a lot of field from sport， medicine， to astrophysics in solving problems and how to actually implement their way of thinking to your own field of work。 I really recommend this book to young generation who currently pursuing certain degree or interests。 。。。more
Yevgen Polyak
，
A must-read， from teenagers to professionals caught in mid-life crisis to retirees。 The book counterweights the concept of early specialization and makes you start thinking about where are your limits of passion and career opportunities。Now I have to remember to read it again in 5-10 years。
Vaibhav Puranik
，
I consider myself as a generalist。 I hadn't thought about it so far。 But this book has certainly changed that。 It has convinced me that it's an asset。 It has also given me some ideas about my work as well。 Overall a descent book written like Malcom Gladwell。 I consider myself as a generalist。 I hadn't thought about it so far。 But this book has certainly changed that。 It has convinced me that it's an asset。 It has also given me some ideas about my work as well。 Overall a descent book written like Malcom Gladwell。 。。。more
Michelle
，
21% into the book （finished chapter 3）， and it’s so boring。 Long examples， loose arguments。 I guess you can always pull a bunch of stories to prove one way or the other。 The idea is ok， generalization vs。 specialization。 Eventually it’s always better to develop a broader overview along with some specialized skills， e。g。 playing multiple instruments not only one。 But again that depends on how you define “success” or “better”。 It’s better that you know something not nothing。 But is it necessary to 21% into the book （finished chapter 3）， and it’s so boring。 Long examples， loose arguments。 I guess you can always pull a bunch of stories to prove one way or the other。 The idea is ok， generalization vs。 specialization。 Eventually it’s always better to develop a broader overview along with some specialized skills， e。g。 playing multiple instruments not only one。 But again that depends on how you define “success” or “better”。 It’s better that you know something not nothing。 But is it necessary to know everything？ 。。。more
Nathan Crowder
，
Was a pretty entertaining read for the first couple hundred pages， and then the same problem struck the book as always seems to occur with this type of popular non-fiction: you're looking for a huge payoff that doesn't come and you get impatient。 You feel a little like the author was unsure what to include and where to include it。 Some of the chapters are definitely stronger than others。 But there is no big climax or lesson to be learned by reading to the very end。The general gist of the book ca Was a pretty entertaining read for the first couple hundred pages， and then the same problem struck the book as always seems to occur with this type of popular non-fiction: you're looking for a huge payoff that doesn't come and you get impatient。 You feel a little like the author was unsure what to include and where to include it。 Some of the chapters are definitely stronger than others。 But there is no big climax or lesson to be learned by reading to the very end。The general gist of the book can of course can be summarized in basically a sentence: most tasks that we encounter seem to be more accurately described as "wicked" rather than "nice" and therefore a broad perspective and varied experiences seem to produce better results。 Starting later as opposed to early specialization can be valuable， or at least not majorly disadvantage you。 One example used to illustrate that was the story of Frances Hasselbein， who I didn't know about， but who led the girl scouts out of a huge slump and basically saved the organization single-handedly through her amazing leadership skills。 I enjoyed the story about the Nintendo game boy creator: a guy who was only moderately talented and was initially hired to work on card machines but later found magic by using older well-worn technology and focusing on game-play rather than the biggest and baddest graphics possible， which other companies already had cornered。 But by far the chapter that had the most bang for the buck for me overall was the chapter on education。 It completely validates some of my own theories I've experienced in years of teaching and shows me that the systemic problems imbedded and perpetuated by our current educational system are more than I'm single-handedly able to overcome。 Highly recommend reading at least just this chapter if you are interested in educational and learning theory。 。。。more
Jane
，
Thought-provoking ideas。 Counter-balance to the 10，000 hours to mastery theory。
Mark McFerren
，
This is an eye-opening book that challenges mainstream narratives of extraordinary achievement。 In it， Epstein criticizes the common theme in Western culture （which has been bolstered by the works of authors like Angela Duckworth and Malcolm Gladwell） that early specialization in a narrow domain leads to the greatest long-term achievement。 While it's undeniable that certain environments reward years of specific and exclusionary focus， Epstein would argue that the majority of domains encountered This is an eye-opening book that challenges mainstream narratives of extraordinary achievement。 In it， Epstein criticizes the common theme in Western culture （which has been bolstered by the works of authors like Angela Duckworth and Malcolm Gladwell） that early specialization in a narrow domain leads to the greatest long-term achievement。 While it's undeniable that certain environments reward years of specific and exclusionary focus， Epstein would argue that the majority of domains encountered by the average person will favor breadth （rather than depth） of knowledge or experience。 Epstein argues that child prodigy stories of early specializers （like Tiger Woods' linear progression of precocity to mastery within a single sport） is the exception rather than the norm。 Within domains of complex challenge and inconsistent feedback， creativity becomes a huge advantage; the kind which is more robustly developed through exposure to a variety of situations and challenges。 This idea is elaborated and applied to topics such as education， business and art。 Many of the greatest thinkers， musicians and athletes had nonlinear paths to success。 It's often that their competitive advantage was developed by combining skills from diverse and disparate domains which their life happened to include。The valid criticisms in this book may even force Angela Duckworth to rein in her more liberal applications of her theory of "grit"。This book is slightly heavy on the anecdotes， but there's plenty of science to make his arguments compelling。 The writing is great too。 I especially liked the part about teaching for deep learning instead of short term performance。 I tend to change hobbies and career goals often， so this book relieves my anxiety about being fairly "unsettled" in many facets of my identity。 I loved this book as a result， but I'm sure I'm extremely biased。 There are some discussions between David Epstein and Malcom Gladwell on YouTube that I found exceedingly insightful as well。My main takeaway from this book is to TRY THINGS。 People are constantly （and should be） in a state of renewal。 Learning about oneself and the world is accomplished through action， followed by genuine curiosity about the results。 Don't mistake stagnation for grit。 Don't mistake a lack of discipline for genuine developmental experimentation。 。。。more
Javier Paz
，
Collection of stories à la Michael Lewis。 I’m really hesitant to give any value to the conclusions extracted from them （at least with the info made available in the book）。 This book intends to be “scientific”， but I really think it makes no proper effort in making a decent case of why causality may be inferred。 For example， the author mentions that great sportsmen/women practised at great level different sports when they were young， drawing the conclusion that it allowed them to be great in the Collection of stories à la Michael Lewis。 I’m really hesitant to give any value to the conclusions extracted from them （at least with the info made available in the book）。 This book intends to be “scientific”， but I really think it makes no proper effort in making a decent case of why causality may be inferred。 For example， the author mentions that great sportsmen/women practised at great level different sports when they were young， drawing the conclusion that it allowed them to be great in the one they chose down the road。 Their practising different sports well at a young age being a consequence of them being particularly gifted， which then keeps showing when they focus on one， is not even considered。 。。。more
Nikkei Flores
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 *THOUGHT DUMP* I would rate this 6 stars if I could。This has got to be one of my favorite books of all-time because it describes how I have felt throughout my entire college career and even now if I'm being honest。 I always thought it was important to be knowledgable in variety of topics from different domains and industries for self-awareness but also you can take what you learn from one field and apply it another。 I have always advocated for diversity， variety and the development of transferra *THOUGHT DUMP* I would rate this 6 stars if I could。This has got to be one of my favorite books of all-time because it describes how I have felt throughout my entire college career and even now if I'm being honest。 I always thought it was important to be knowledgable in variety of topics from different domains and industries for self-awareness but also you can take what you learn from one field and apply it another。 I have always advocated for diversity， variety and the development of transferrable skills because you can be someone who can provide knowledge or perhaps be that bridge between those 2 sectors。 This is why I like learning about tech， business， language-learning and artsy things even outside of the healthcare space - to learn it for monetary gains would be a byproduct benefit but I do it genuinely because I think there's more to learn and to be curious about that I have yet to discover。 Innovative solutions to problems also come from the merging of fields but I also agree in that old solutions to new problems can be just as creative and profound。 The internet makes information readily more available to us that knowledge that was once kept only for those who majored in that degree in school is now open for all to access and read。 It's just up to us to make the effort to want to know about it or not。 It's quite hard to find people who understand this perspective in medicine and the book even outrightly says it -- we have a specialist for practically every body part and every body system when everything functions together and in accordance with one another， although I will admit that certain rules and standards apply different based on age and population （aka pediatrics）。 I think the sampling period is super important and that I'm lucky that have had both the experiences with both adult and children to find what I feel I gravitate towards best when working as a bedside nurse but I also feel that other fields of medicine that have yet to be as highly encouraged or integrated with modern westernized medicine are eastern， lifestyle and preventative measures （primarily because the healthcare system doesn't make incentivize preventative care in the private sector）。 It doesn't hurt to be curious but our systems reward hyperspecialization when we need people who think broadly！ I love that the book preaches how a headstart really isn't all that。 I've seen it and lived it in sports （gymanstics primetime window is fairly small）。 You can honestly catch up once you spend find your cup of tea after your "sampling period" of activities。 This also needs to apply to middle-age and older-adults who I think feel it's too late to learn something on the basis of their age。 I see it in my parents - on both opposite ends of extremes; one is willing to learn and adapt to the current times even if it means having to dive into something out of her industry， the other who stayed in the same place years and years hence out of fear that it's too late for him to pursue something different。 We give children the freedom to try different things and sample activities in sports， academia and arts。 Why don't we do the same for older adults？ We shouldn't limit ourselves！ *I'll probably edit & add more to this review because I loved this book so so much* 。。。more
Swarup
，
A very different perspective from what is espoused in many other non-fiction best sellers。 The best part if the anecdotes that are presented in each chapter。 Enjoyed them thoroughly。The last couple of chapters were repetitive。 Could have reduced the size of the book a bit。 Overall - insightful and informative！
Elizabeth Ricks
，
I really， really liked this。 There were a few areas where I found it a little dry， but overall it is a great read。 When he talked about the Carter Race case study， I found myself thinking it was ridiculous。 If there is EVER a chance of losing life， etc。， everyone should vote to abort。 No questions。 Then would you find out what the study is really about， it is jaw dropping。 When I mentioned that I don't think I would ever make it in business because I would NEVER vote to go ahead， my son said tha I really， really liked this。 There were a few areas where I found it a little dry， but overall it is a great read。 When he talked about the Carter Race case study， I found myself thinking it was ridiculous。 If there is EVER a chance of losing life， etc。， everyone should vote to abort。 No questions。 Then would you find out what the study is really about， it is jaw dropping。 When I mentioned that I don't think I would ever make it in business because I would NEVER vote to go ahead， my son said that I would be good in a group because that point of view should be taken into consideration too。 I highly recommend this one。 。。。more
Victor
，
Wow， the author is such a great writer， that even the acknowledgment is a captivating read。 A great book that I would recommend to everybody。
Michae;l
，
Interesting read that demonstrates diversity in learning experience is better at breaking through new problems than specialization which tends to confine your tool box of solutions。 Tiger Woods is the rarity， specializing early and not getting burnt out。 Changing directions to find a better fit at any time in life is encouraged， and I would agree philosophically。 Keep switching until you find your niche。 Having read multiple books that use individual examples of extreme success to emphasize thei Interesting read that demonstrates diversity in learning experience is better at breaking through new problems than specialization which tends to confine your tool box of solutions。 Tiger Woods is the rarity， specializing early and not getting burnt out。 Changing directions to find a better fit at any time in life is encouraged， and I would agree philosophically。 Keep switching until you find your niche。 Having read multiple books that use individual examples of extreme success to emphasize their life theories， I'm not sure how generally applicable these books。 Most start with beyond normal intelligence， creativity and/or drive。 I like to nap too much。 。。。more
Martha Schwalbe
，