A friend informed me of a possible job opportunity yesterday.
Don’t tell Elysha.
“What would that be?” he asked. “Job #10?”
I didn’t take the job, of course. A technicality prevented me from even considering it, but I’ve got enough work right now to keep me busy. Not exactly nine jobs, but as a teacher, novelist, storyteller, advertising consultant, columnist, public speaking coach, minister, wedding DJ, film consultant, keynote speaker, podcaster, and artistic director and performer for Speak Up, I’ve got a lot on my plate.
Just recently I added dramaturge to the list.
I’ve been told on several occasions by several people that I might be spreading myself a little thin. The Greek poet Archilochus wrote, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”
Most people interpret this to mean that the hedgehog possesses a distinct advantage. While knowing many things might sound advantageous, it turns out that it’s better to be someone who knows one thing exceptionally well.
Become the expert in an important arena. Dominate one field. Adopt a singular mindset.
Maybe, but it’s just never been me. My curiosity is constantly leading me to new horizons. One might say that all of interests essentially deal with words. Communication. Connecting to other people through a variety of media and mediums.
But even that’s not true. In addition to all that I’ve listed above, I’m also extremely interested in finance and invest in the stock market. I love poker and played regularly and profitably for years before online gambling became illegal in my state. I’ve seriously considered becoming an unlicensed therapist.
But I’ve wondered from time to time if this makes sense. I’ve had many people tell me that if I focused my blog on a single subject, or focus my attention on a single topic, I’d draw more readers. Become more successful.
But writing about one thing, thinking about one thing, doing just one thing… I couldn’t do it.
There’s a phrase. “Jack of all trades, but master of none.” It’s always bothered me. I’ve worried that it describes me perfectly.
Then a reader wrote to me. Someone who apparently knows and understands me through my writing.
She said:
“I listen to the Daily Zeitgeist podcast every morning, and today they busted a myth!
The saying “Jack of all trades, but master of none” actually goes ” “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
That made my day today.”
Mine, too. I think it might even be true.
