Never Give In, Never, Never, Never...

Winston Churchill's infamous quote rings true for many: "Never ever give up". It is a rallying cry for sticking with your path, no matter how hard, no matter how painful, no matter how long and winding, fatiguing or frustrating.

Psychologist Angela Duckworth described this as grit. In one of the best-known studies of persistence and refusal to give up or quit, she found that there are two primary components of Grit: one is comprised of work ethic and the refusal to give up, and the other is described as knowing exactly what one wants...and keeping after it. Her personal life story of learning & development and her research is described in her wonderful book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. I especially like the Hard Thing Rule for her family. It has three parts: it requires the identification of something new and hard; it requires that you cannot quit on a bad or hard day; and finally, it should be selected by you, and only you.

I love the Hard Thing Rule. It embraces a combination of self-selection, commitment and being "all in" until the end of the activity. For me, it was yoga several years ago. I was committed to a class 2x's per week and over time it became an integral part of my physical and mental discipline. It was hard but extremely gratifying.

But I'm also a dabbler.

So when I finished the book, Range, by David Epstein last week I was heartened to learn that my "dabbling" had perhaps added to my life in previously unrecognized ways. Whereas Duckworth places a premium on being "all in" and demonstrating (often focused and specialized) grit, Epstein celebrates the personal voyage of discovery that can lead in many directions and multiple experiments in learning or attempting new things or activities. I love it. I can dabble and get smarter? Well yes, sort of. Like Duckworth, he clearly values expertise and depth, but his research concludes that those who have a broader vs narrower perspective are usually better problem solvers. Groups of specialists do not solve large problems as effectively as groups of individuals with more general backgrounds. Novel and effective solutions come from using knowledge and experiences from different models, ways of approaching problems. He cites Van Gogh and Thomas Edison as examples of long, winding journeys to excellence (that also included massive failures) while respecting the focused achievements of Tiger Woods and the dedicated brilliance of Yo Yo Ma.

Both Epstein and Duckworth's arguments have merit. Certainly, we need both the 10,000-hour specialists who dive deep along with those with "range" of perspective who find their satisfaction and ability to solve problems in a wide variety of life experiences.

Are you a dabbler, an experimenter of your interests & abilities? A specialist who gains satisfaction from focusing intensely on that one hard thing you master? Or can you effectively be both?