“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Some Instagram reel revealed to me this quote in its entirety. I suppose there is some logic in there somewhere. Why limit ourselves to being an expert in one area; why not be a little good at everything? At least then, we could feel comfortable discussing several different subject matters. Is this not an expansion of the mind? Maybe so, and maybe it is a matter of preference, but in the end, I reject the statement. “Too much specialization leads to no specialization.” If that one does not resonate with you, how about, “we can do anything; we cannot do everything.”
There is simply not enough time for us to be good at everything. Furthermore, how many things can one expect to be reasonably good at doing? Sure, there are dual-sport athletes, but I might argue that they are good or great at sports, period. Let me get this straight – are we to believe that somebody can operate at a “B+ level” at being an athlete, a thinker, storyteller, entertainer, writer, craftsman, artist, fixer-upper, teacher, and the list of “trades” goes on and on. You’re going to be “pretty good” at all those things!? Listen, one should consider themselves lucky if they are great at one thing. You’ve hit the freaking jackpot if you are great at two things. It is my belief that each individual has at least, but probably only one, God-given gift or talent that they could utilize to benefit society or at least their immediate surroundings.
We are bad-to-average at practically everything. Mike Trout sucks at hockey; I guarantee it. Elon Musk sucks at doing any sort of physical activity. You know what, though? Contextually, being average at best at something is quite good. That means we aren’t bad at it, so we should be thankful for that. There is a phrase that says, “accentuate the positives; hide the negatives.” As far as I can tell, that phrase is close to perfect. It isn’t so much that we must “hide the negatives” – because, from my experience, hiding something always finds its way into the light. Perhaps we should say something like this: “accentuate the positives; do not accentuate the negatives.”
Discover and/or recognize your God-given gift today.
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