Don’t start negatively, and don’t start small. People will often focus on little details as a way of masking a lack of any clear, coherent, big thoughts. If you start petty, you seem petty.

Robert Iger, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Bob Iger’s book, The ride of a Lifetime, was one of the book that open my eyes this year. It really inspired me that it’s not impossible being a CEO in a big company, even if you started from the bottom, as long as you have faith in yourself, push the best out of you and great will to step up to the top.

Many quotes inspire me from the book. But only 1 quote that struck me in the heart. It didn’t give excitement from the feeling of inspired. Instead, it stabbed me hard.

All my life, I always be a generalist. I never have any deep skill. I learned how to play piano, never good at it. I learned many languages, I never be really fluent in it. I like to write, yet my writing is still mediocre (hopefully it’s getting better). I learn lots lots of things in my life, but nothing from it I become master of. And to make it worse, I always stop what I learn before I finish it. I got bored or felt enough, and eager to learn another new thing. Not only I start small, I end petty.

I think and think so many times. Should I change it? Should I focus on one skill? Should I be specialist, as it seems like easier to get attention. Or even a clear career path. Should I choose one skill, learn it deeply, and have something that I can really put as my main strength ?

But then again, the quote said about not masking a lack of big thoughts. What if to learn it all is part of it? What if to have a will to never stop learning is not to start smart at all? The quotes, anyway, remind me of something. To never give up learning. Stay focus as knowledges are never small. And indeed, it’s not petty at all.