Jack of all Trades? Nah…

Oh yes, there are levels to this old adage. Level 1 “Oh, wow, so you’re a real jack of all trades?!” Used as a compliment, this person is saying, simply, you are good at lots of things. Great. Level 2 “Yeah well, jack of all trades, master of none…” Flip it around, now it's a criticism! This person is saying you can’t be truly great at everything, you should CHOOSE, lest you become known for mediocrity across the board. Level 3 “Jack of all trades, master of none, is oftentimes better than a master of one.” And we’re back to the original meaning, although this time with a bit more pomposity and subtlety. 

Level 4 - Do YOUR thing. Be yourself. Play what you want to play. Your name probably isn’t even Jack. Comparison is the thief of joy. It turns out this phrase “Jack of all trades” in any of these iterations isn’t even a quote we can historically attribute to one person with one meaning. You want to do lots of things? Great. You want to focus all your time on one thing? Great. Be a master of YOU.