Cheers to the Jack & Jills!

“Kelly, you’re a jack of all trades and a master of none.”

No words EVER made me more enraged. Why? Let me count the ways.

1. Because they aren’t complimentary; they’re a back-handed insult.

2. Because they are the seeds of imposter syndrome & conformity.

3. Because when my softball team’s catcher got hurt in the “Big Show” (EYA Under 14 Championship Summer ‘87), I threw on the equipment and made the lead-saving play at home plate.

History Lesson:

The O.G. “Jack of All Trades” was a playwright, a curious lad on the London theatre scene, set builder, costume designer, acting coach and director. The actual saying is, “a Jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

That “Jack” was William Shakespeare.

It has taken me years to understand why I light up when I’m learning something new or solving a problem and why I struggle to stick with just one thing. I’m at my best when I see a network of possible wanderings and at my worst when I’m forced into a narrow lane for too long.

I'm acutely aware of my strengths and weaknesses because of my successes and failures in dabbling & exploring.

I’m very aware of my boundaries & fears because I’ve raised my hand and said, “I’ll give it a try,” countless times.

I am a master. I'm a master of curiosity, flexibility, resilience and self-awareness. I'm a master of figuring things out when no one else can or will. I have a diversified skill set and long list of experiences that make me valuable.

So to all my fellow Jacks and Jills, Cheers! “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”