The temptation is to spread ourselves thin. Cover all the bases and you appeal to more people. Add tons of services to your business or add 100 food options to your menu and you’ll appeal to more people. Right?
Wrong. Specificity is where greatness is to be found.
A mile wide, but an inch deep means you’re OK at lots of different things, but ultimately, forgettable.
A mile deep but an inch wide means you’re awesome at something and people know you’re special.
Steve Jobs became special but he didn’t need to know five different languages, know how to give a haircut, tailor his own suit, build an addition onto his house, or be a professional gamer. He was focused on his business and in his field.
Garbage trucks are built for hauling trash, they’re specific. Airplanes are specific, too. Each is built for something specific and they’d fail spectacularly if you tried to use them for both collecting garbage and flying in the sky.
Focus and be specific and you’ll be more effective.