You Don’t Need to Know Many Things, But You Need to Know a Lot About a Little

As a kid, I thought I had to know everything. I’d try to memorize every country’s name and its capital, every planet’s size, and even random facts about animals. But I’d forget most of it by the next week. Then one day, I got really into backflipping. I learned how to tuck my knees, time my jump, and land without wobbling. I didn’t know everything about the world, but I knew a ton about backflipping. And that felt powerful.

You don’t need to stuff your brain with facts about a million things. It’s better to pick a few things you love and learn a lot about them. Think of it like digging a deep hole instead of scratching the surface everywhere. If you love drawing, focus on mixing colors or sketching animals. If you’re into soccer, practice dribbling or study how players pass. Knowing a lot about a little makes you really good at something, and that’s more fun than knowing a tiny bit about everything.

Suppose you want to bake cookies. You could try to learn a hundred recipes for cakes, pies, and breads. Or you could focus on making the best chocolate chip cookies ever. You’d learn how to make them chewy or crispy, what kind of chocolate tastes best, and how long to bake them. Soon, people would be begging for your cookies. That’s what happens when you go deep instead of wide.

This works for bigger stuff too. My friend loves painting. He doesn’t know much about music or mechanics, but he can mix colors and create landscapes that look alive. People ask for his artwork because he’s the best at that one thing. He didn’t need to learn everything, just a lot about painting.

Focusing on a few things also helps you solve problems better. If you know a lot about plants, you’ll figure out why your garden isn’t growing. If you’re great at storytelling, you can make up a tale to cheer up a friend. It’s like having a toolbox with just the right tools instead of a messy drawer full of stuff you don’t know how to use.

Sometimes, it’s tempting to jump from one thing to another. I used to start a new hobby every month, painting, then piano, then music. But I never got good at any of them because I didn’t stay with them long enough. Now, I choose one or two things and really focus. Right now, I’m learning to build apps with no-code tools. I’m not a tech expert yet, but I’m getting better at creating features that work smoothly. And it feels awesome.

You don’t have to know it all. Just pick something you like and learn everything you can about it. It’s like landing a perfect backflip that makes everyone cheer. You’ll be amazed at how far you can go when you know a lot about a little.