Jack of all trades and master of none, we all have an idea of who Jack is because we have all been in his shoes at one point or the other. With the pressure to change various aspects of our lives, we get caught up in the web of trying to do it all at once. Always having a long list of desirable goals hanging over your head, it is only expected you will try to do as much as you can at the same moment to reach the destination earlier, or so we think.
The more things we try to work on all at once, the more our minds drift from place to place trying to manage the level of awareness and consciousness to be given to each goal, project, habit, or business plan. In the process it all just ends up a blur, nothing defined, some lines crossing each other. Other projects are rendered insignificant to others, others suffering from the lack of attention and at the end of it all, every goal is not realized in the best possible way. Doing a lot of things or acting on a bunch of ideas at the same time can scramble your mind and make it less efficient in all the angles you are taking.
The art of focusing is one that entails narrowing your vision and looking for a focal point to direct all your energy and thoughts at a time for maximum impact. It is clearing up all manner of distraction. Distraction is not always things you do in your leisure time, hobbies, and maybe gadgets but it can also take the form of another brilliant idea you have just thought of, another theme of a book you have thought of starting before finishing the project you are working on.
Often we assume our success is derailed because we are not doing enough, whereas in actual fact it might be that way because we are doing too much. Too many good intentions can easily become a poisonous concoction to lead you straight into failure or just a life of pure mediocrity. To master a skill, the first step to be taken is always the choice to focus on that particular skill and clear your mind of all other things. One has to be intentional about giving their time and energy to the habit they are trying to cultivate or to the project at hand. You can do all things in life if you put your mind to it but just not at the same time.
After working on your eagle`s eye for that one particular thing you want to achieve there comes a couple more steps of action for you to master it. Mastering can only be achieved when consistency is looped into the equation. Even after choosing to work and put all the effort needed it is our natural tendency to revert and fall off the wagon. The probability of this happening is even higher when we are juggling a lot of changes, ideas, and plans at the same time. Consistency engraves the code into the mind and the body until it becomes a mantra, automaticity is achieved.
You cannot be consistent on a lot of things at the same time, when automaticity is not achieved there is no change and no real success so the best way to introduce change in our lives is by not trying to change our entire lives in one moment. Work on one thing at a time, give it your all, develop it, and once you master it move to the next skill, habit, idea. Multitasking is a blessing in other regards than in others, when doing your everyday chores you can multitask but when doing something that needs high mental activity and planning there is always a couple of tasks in the multi that suffer, if not all.
The fear of failure at times is what keeps us on the verge of blowing up by trying to do everything because we will be hoping if we are to fail in one thing we will succeed in the other. Society is dictating how hustling is the new working mode, being involved in everything you can. This becomes a setback if you want to establish something for the long run that keeps standing and flourishing. Sometimes we find it hard to focus because we do not know what is important, with objectives and priorities loosely defined it is hard to keep your mind on one thing.
It is in our nature to find novelty quite appealing, the shiny object syndrome hits us all in different ways. We are junkies to the feel-good factor of doing something new. Touching on everything and trying to learn it all at the same time can be enjoyable but can end up spreading your focus too thin to the point where you are not focusing on anything.
To master our skills and to enjoy the success that comes with specialty there is a need to create space for our mental capacity to maximize upon one thing at a time. Our mind works best as a single-core processor. Define your priorities on your projects, habits you want to work on, skills to acquire, and choose what to give your all in the now, when the time comes repeat the process for the next thing on the list. Instead of being a Jack of all trades, you could master a few.
Peace, Love & Prosperity!
Mario Sousa
Heart-Centered Leadership
My team and I are on a mission to lead other like-minded, heart-centered business leaders that are ready to make a bigger impact in their personal lives, their communities and around the world. Please review the information below and reach out to me personally with any questions you might have. The future looks extremely bright, if you see what I see, let's work together.