Doing more things doesn’t make you more accomplished, it makes you good at being mediocre. I learned then when I did the Decathlon as a track athlete. I would get frustrated when my high jump and long jump performances would not be as good as they once were. My coach told me that it was normal because when you are training and performing at 10 things the idea is to be above average at all ten, which means you can’t be excellent at any of them.
Now translate that to our careers, schedules, and lifestyles. Are we trying to really be excellent, or have we filled our lives so full that we can’t really be great at anything? I know that my decathlon tendencies have followed me into my lifestyle and I am often just above average at a lot of stuff - but maybe not super excellent at one.
Check out this college students journey and similar revelation as she scaled back and moved forward.
The big revelation is that now I don’t feel so obliged to fill my resume with mediocre extras. I can finally accept what my teachers were telling me in high school, and my professors have been telling me since freshman year: I am a smart, capable student and shouldn’t worry so much about my abilities.
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