Stranger In A Strange Land

You can learn a lot more if you’re not in your element.

This is clear in educational theory, where the Zone of Proximal Development represents the sweet spot of learning efficiency. But it’s clear elsewhere, too.

I’ll grow more as a sound designer for a musical than I will directing a choir. I’ll grow more attending a metal concert than I will a jazz concert. I’ll grow more reading a new author than a favorite.

Which doesn’t preclude doing the work you’re passionate about and an expert in. But those outside experiences – places where you feel like a stranger in a strange land – will inform your expert work, and likely lead to more substantial growth than the incremental growth you can expect in your own home.