Being unique and crafting yourself by what you learn.

When I read this passage, I had an insight – 

“We spend a good deal of our lives trying to convince ourselves, as well as everybody else, that we know more than we really do.  While some of us know more than others about certain things, it is the thinnest slice of all that is, or could be known.  In that sense, we are all profoundly ignorant.” – Charles Osgood

Especially today, there is so much more information than anyone could know.  So we can craft our uniqueness by what we learn – what we pay attention to, and what we don’t.  We are from somewhere, which gives us experience and perspective to start.  We can learn one thing, and we are like all others who know that one thing.  But then we learn a lot about subject number two.  That makes us more unique – after all, who knows a lot about those two particular subjects?  

I’m not talking about history and philosophy.  I’m talking about, let’s say, video and rock climbing, or guitar and salesmanship.  Wow, now we are really unique.  

Now, let’s throw in subject number three. We become experienced at traveling in Central America, or in healthy eating, or in AI, or writing ad copy, or organic farming.  So now we have three skills, and we can combine them to do things not many others are doing.  While we may not use some of our experiences and things we learned in the next thing directly, they all color how we think and what we do next and how.

While we have ignored most things in the world, we are assembling a package of skills and experiences that, when combined with our unique abilities, make us like no other.

My Uncle Gordon was an architectural draftsman and artist who loved motorcycles, dogs, history, and the natural world.

If you keep learning and growing, the older you get the more skills and experiences you can put together.  

I am a carpenter, foundation repair, sales trainer, businessman, and trainer who is an expert dirt bike rider, loves creating cool spaces, loves learning, and writing about personal development.  Paying attention to these things has shaped me, and I was able to put those things together in unique combinations the world has never seen.

You can shape yourself into someone quite unique by both what you pay attention to and what you do not pay attention to.

What are you?

Write it out.  “I am a _____________ , and ______________ , who has experience with __________ , who loves __________ and _________ etc.”