“ You cannot do everything . So choose your something well .”
Learning was now a matter of life and death . My ability to learn would determine whether I would have a roof over my head . It was no longer about knowing a little bit about everything . Now it was all about learning what I needed to know to create the life I wanted to live .
When we spend so much time trying to be good at everything , it costs us precious time that could be spent becoming great at what we ’ re designed to do . When you care about something , it becomes a filter by which you sift out everything else that demands your time . No one is capable of meaningful engagement with every issue , problem , or skill . Just ask Michael Jordan , the greatest basketball player to ever step on the court — and a major disappointment as a professional baseball player .
You cannot be great at everything . You have a finite amount of energy and time on this earth , and you must choose how to use it . If you choose to be a jack-of-all-trades , you will be a master of none .
I have had the privilege of working closely with individuals who knew their life mission , had a ruthless sense of focus , and felt no need to care about everything . They directed their compassion and concern like valuable resources . They gave themselves permission to be average at everything else except their one thing . With their one thing , they were determined to bring their best .
Erin Rank cares about one thing : helping deserving families buy homes they could never afford on their own . Her singular focus makes her the perfect person to lead Habitat for Humanity here in Los Angeles , where the organization has raised hundreds of millions of dollars and helped over five hundred families become homeowners .
Scott Harrison is convinced that water is everything . Years ago , Scott founded a nonprofit called charity : water . There can be no ambiguity about what he or his organization is about . His life mission has been to tell the story of how we can change the world when everyone has access to clean water .
“ You cannot do everything . So choose your something well .”
When I look back on my life , I see that there were seasons when I tried to do too many things . I genuinely cared about more initiatives than I could give my time , energy , and life to . Narrowing my focus has been one of the most necessary and painful decisions I ’ ve had to make .
You cannot do everything . So choose your something well . I ’ m average at almost everything . I ’ m good with that . The average
37