In The Mosaic Principle: The Six Dimensions of a Remarkable Life and Career published by PublicAffairs (November 2016), Nick Lovegrove observes that “each of us does have a choice: greater breadth or greater depth. In today’s world, there are intensifying pressures on us to choose depth, because the world is increasingly obsessed with the power of narrow specialist expertise.”

However, “As individuals and as a society, we cannot afford to be so prone to the perils of depth. We do need a pronounced swerve toward greater breadth — drawing upon the inspiration of those who have successfully shaped their lives in that direction. But the question is how — what does it take to build a remarkable life of breadth and diversity?”

Here are the six principles that Lovegrove recommends to be the foundation of such a life:

1. Doing What Seems Right: Apply your moral compass
2. On Being T-Shaped: Defining an intellectual thread
3. The Foundation of Life Is Common to Them All: Developing transferable skills
4. Listen, Learn, Adapt: Investing in contextual intelligence
5. Structured Serendipity: Building an extended network
6. Carpe Diem: Having a prepared mind

Longlove devotes a separate chapter to each of the six in Part 2.