Lego Christmas Childhood Memory

It was late 80s in Turkey and newspapers were distributing Christmas gifts to those chosen by lottery who collected 30 coupons. My father was buying newspapers daily and I was responsible to cut the coupons and collect them. When we had 30, my mom and I went to the post office and sent them. As a child with no reading ability and internet connection I was not aware of its name but there was a picture of colorful blocks and amazing figures. There were other but these were what I wanted. Neither me nor my friends had these, I even didn’t see them in the toy store of our neighborhood. One thing was certain: they were magnificent. In the middle of December, it was announced that we won LEGO from the lottery. My family was also not aware of what LEGO is. Then next week postman brought a fancy box. My mom carefully unboxed it and we faced with LEGO Galaxy Explorer. It was a love at first sight. Since then I know what Lego is and it is no more a toy but a way of creativity, experience and imagination for me. And since that Christmas, I love LEGO…

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World | David Epstein

Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world's top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.

David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They're also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see.