Musashi says; “Practice and understand the realization that by knowing one way,

you know a thousand’’. Miyamoto Musashi dedicated his

life to mastering the sword. As a young man, he trained tirelessly from dawn until dusk, always

pushing his boundaries. At just 15 or 16, he left his home village to travel the country, seeking

out the best masters and challenging renowned fighters. His relentless training and fearless

spirit led him to countless victories, making his skills legendary. Musashi’s method was both

feared and respected; although he focused on a single art, he could express it in countless ways.

However, focusing on one thing in our modern world is like trying to read a single book in a

noisy library filled with countless fascinating books, all vying for your attention. Each book

represents a different opportunity, skill, or interest, while the noise symbolizes the constant

distractions from social media, advertisements, and the fast-paced demands of our daily lives.

Just as it’s hard to concentrate on one book when surrounded by so many intriguing titles

and persistent noise, it’s difficult to dedicate ourselves to mastering one skill or field. Our

attention is constantly pulled in multiple directions, making it challenging to dive

deep into any single pursuit. This scattered focus stops us from gaining deep knowledge

and expertise because we can't give anything our full attention. As a result, we end up

with a shallow understanding of many things and feel unfulfilled and mediocre in our efforts.

However, when we focus on one thing, we explore its details and make connections

others might miss. As we practice more, our skills get better, our confidence grows,

and we start becoming experts. Mastering one area also lets us think creatively and stand out.

This builds up our reputation, and people begin to recognize and seek out our expertise,

opening up new opportunities for growth, collaboration, and success.

Furthermore, juggling too many interests can be exhausting. By focusing on one thing,

we avoid this exhaustion and keep our interest going and energy high.

This helps us make steady progress and with steady progress, we rise above mediocrity.

Like Miyamoto Musashi, we should invest time in mastering one skill and finding various ways to

express it. Once we’ve truly mastered that skill, we can then move on to learning something new,

just as Miyamoto did when he later explored writing and philosophy.