You see this routinely with new businesses, which aim to bite off a small piece of the market pie by focusing on a narrow market segment. вЂњByВ being everything to everyone youвЂ™reВ nothingВ to anyoneвЂќ The old marketing aphorism comes into play here: Who would you prefer to see for your all-important heart surgery вЂ“ a surgeon who operates on every human appendage, or a specialist whoвЂ™s spent his whole career researching, analysing and healing hearts? Exactly.Д¬onsumers seek those who can best solve their problem, and invariably this is the people who speak most clearly to our particular need. The second factor centres around human psychology. While knowledge work doesnвЂ™t lend itself to such repetitive tasks, physical work, however one-focused, can be endured due to flow mind state it creates.

The Adam Smith school of economics was all about output, with business magnates realising they could maximise returns by distilling the manufacturing process down to its components, to be fulfilled by specialists.

However, for factory owners, such disparate skills werenвЂ™t of much use. Throughout history, renaissance men were fairly ubiquitous, Leonardo Da Vinci said to be as proud of his ability to bend iron bars as painting the Mona Lisa. The first has its roots in the industrial revolution. Well, I feel there are two main factors, both on more of a market level thatвЂ™s filtered down into individual approaches to work and leisure.

So if being a polymath is so good, why does society celebrate the hyper-specialised? In my desire to develop more of a beginnerвЂ™s mindset, learn new skills and explore other areas of interest, I thought IвЂ™d learn more about the dark art of polymathy. This article is as much for me as it is for you dear reader. Now, undoubtedly, this decision had implications for my tennis achievements but looking back, I donвЂ™t regret the decision. I remember a point when I was younger and having to decide whether to go all-in on tennis or play various sports in their respective seasons.ДЄfter much deliberation, I chose the latter, because I enjoy variety. The closest IвЂ™ve come to such cross-disciplinary proficiency may be with different sports which admittedly, still fall under the same umbrella of physical exercise. ThereвЂ™s something rather romantic about being able to wrestle a bear, build a shelter and write a novel, without breaking a sweat. I think itвЂ™s safe to say that IвЂ™ve never been a polymath, at least not a successful one.Д«ut like many humans, I have leanings in that direction. That might sound like a daunting description of capabilities needed to make the grade.Д«ut knowing a little about a lot still counts, and can take us deeper into the realms of human knowledge than most are willing to dive.

Whats a polymath