I spend a fair bit of time weeding. When I weed I find that it is a time when I can let my thoughts float around. While I was weeding the other day I found my thoughts focusing on a saying that we have all heard, or I think a majority must have heard once.
Jack of all trades, master of none
If you haven’t heard this quote its one I remember hearing often growing up. It was a way of telling people they need to pick one thing to be good at. This quote was whirling around in my mind as I thought about the fact that I have never been a master of one thing and would never really want to. I enjoy going from thing to thing trying them on and learning lots about lots. The more I sat with this the more I started to think of how this saying; this idea permeates much of our lives.
We are told to niche down, get specific. Don’t move too far from this niche or else people will be confused. Do one thing really well. Pick you passion but its singular – one passion, to do for you life. I can’t help but think about how this feels contrary to the be authentic movement. Show up as your full self. Be who you are. It also seems to fail to show how so many small business owners are literally doing everything in their business… Are they not jacks of all trade?
I’m sure there are many people who do find one thing they are deeply passionate about and could spend their days discussing. But I think even then they have other things in there lives. We aren’t one trick ponies. However, we are meant to pick a thing and stick to it. As I followed this thought trail, I began to think of my university schooling when we talked of specialization. Everyone gets one small piece to assemble nothing more. The more they created tiny segments the more productive their assembly lines became. I wonder to what extent this push for specialization has shaped this idea that we should only master one thing; pick our one niche?
I am not the master of one; I am a jack of all trades, I have many passions that come and go. I think if I had to pick a niche or have just one thing I’m into, its change; constant movement from one field to the next. For a very longtime I thought something was wrong with me because I can be extremely passionate about a thing to the point of obsession but once I feel I know enough or have spent enough time with it, I’m off to the next. I’ve been accused of chasing shiny things never settling on any. This year I have decided to just embrace that. Clearly it is something I have and if its something I have had my entire life, I don’t want to fight it anymore.
As I thought, I guess my niche is change and I will not beat myself up for always wanting to try new things, I went into the house and as things do I saw on my Instagram feed the entire quote which goes…
Jack of all trades, master of none
Though often better than a master of one.
So dear readers, if you’re like me and enjoy moving from thing to thing; do it. I think for me being authentic means bringing the fact that I do more than one thing and being able to show that as part of who I am is fine. If that means I wont be as successful or I’ll gain less followers because they are confused at me being a whole human then I guess that’s just how it is.
The end
