To be well-rounded or unidimensional?

This is a question I am trying to answer.

Over the past few years, I have heard conflicting opinions.

Be well-rounded.

Go to a good college. Get a good white-collar job. Have a nice family. Be faithful. Be fit. Be funny. Etc.

Be really good at one thing.

Prioritize your career at all costs.

I have been on both sides of the table.

In high school, there was a lot of talk about being well-rounded.

I wanted to be in all the AP classes, play 2 sports, volunteer, participate in 4 clubs, work a job, etc.

But, then I started hearing about having a spike. Something that differentiates myself.

Especially important when applying to such selective schools. Where everyone is great. But, everyone is almost identical. Stats. Extracurriculars. Etc.

So, I started getting very invested in my teaching job. Working full-time outside of school. And, that was my spike.

But, in college, I have seen there is a middle ground. Most of my friends are decent at 1 or 2 things. Not necessarily the best. But, above average.

Lately, I have gained appreciation for well-roundedness.

That is – how can I be at the top 10% of everything I do?

Aka dedicated to excellence across all aspects of my life.

It’s challenging. It requires trade-offs.

But, I have realized that as we get older, it’s harder to be well-rounded.

We tend to get looped into the same things.

We lose the ability to be good at multiple things.

My perspective now is –

How can I be amongst the best as it relates to career success?
How can I be amongst the fittest in the room?
How can I be amongst the nicest of my friends?

Etc.

Bottom-line? It’s cool to be good at multiple things. But, it only gets harder with time.