Jack of All Trades, Master of None: Why Every New Skill Doubles Your Chance of Success

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“A jack of all trades, but a master of none.” What do you think when you hear this?

Do you see being a “jack of all trades, but a master of none” as a good thing or a bad thing? Does it refer to a person who is only half-decent at a bunch of things but has never really honed their talents and skills? Or does it refer to someone who has dabbled in many different areas in life and has a balanced skillset?

According to Scott Adams (the creator of the popular comic Dilbert), in his amazing book How to Fail At Almost Everything, the “jack of all trades, but master of none” approach is actually a big reason for his success in life.

In the book, he recaps his own skillset and admits that he really isn’t that great at any one thing. But in combination, they can become something very powerful.

“I have poor art skills, mediocre business skills, good but not great writing talent, and an early knowledge of the Internet. And I have a good but not great sense of humor. I’m like one big mediocre soup. None of my skills are world-class, but when my mediocre skills are combined, they become a powerful market force.”

Reading such a successful person call themselves a “big mediocre soup” is strange, but if you take a step back it makes a lot of sense.

Our combination of skills is ultimately what separates us from others. No matter how great you are at one thing, there will always be someone who can do it better than you. However, if you’re good at one skill plus a combination of skills X, Y, and Z, you can set yourself apart and truly stand out from the crowd.

Our entire “skillset” is often more important than any individual “skill.” And when we can combine two skills that seem completely unrelated, then we build an even more specialized version of ourselves that can’t be easily replicated.

Anyone can bring their own unique angle to their work. A psychologist who is also a DJ can integrate music into their therapy sessions. A nurse who does stand-up comedy can help make patients laugh and reduce stress. A teacher who is an actress can role-play lessons from history to help make them more memorable.

These are just a few examples off the top of my head of ways people can bring different skills and passions into their professional lives.



Every new skill doubles your odds of success

Scott Adams says when it comes to skills, “quantity often beats quality.”

“My combined mediocre skills are worth far more than the sum of the parts. If you think extraordinary talent and a maniacal pursuit of excellence are necessary for success, I say that’s just one approach, and probably the hardest. When it comes to skills, quantity often beats quality.”

He goes on to say that “every new skill doubles your odds of success.” Because by adding more tools to your repertoire, you begin to offer something to the the world that no one else can, because no one else has your exact combination of talents, skills, and experiences.

Reflecting on my own skillset, I think it follows a similar pattern. I consider myself slightly above average at writing, a good listener, a decent speaker, and a decent social media marketer, but I’m really not top 1% at anything I do. I too am a “big mediocre soup” – but it works for me.

(I’m also decent at making electronic music, so that’s something I’ve been recently integrating with my work here at The Emotion Machine. I created a guided meditation last week with binaural beats and ambient sounds, and I plan to create at least one new one each month).

Taking all my skills together, plus a strong dose of passion, I’ve experienced moderate success with The Emotion Machine. It’s just the beginning though and I certainly still have more skills and tools to add to my belt.

Now ask yourself this: “What new skill would double my chance of success?”



One “master skill” + multiple “side skills”

While it’s good to be a “jack of all trades” – and I firmly agree with Scott Adams that being mediocre at multiple skills is a smart strategy for success – that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to be a “master of none.”

Why not be a “jack of all trades, and a master of one?”

Choose at least one “master skill” to focus on the most. This can be something that you are already naturally good at and have a lot of experience in (I often tell people to “follow your biology“). It should also be something that you have a strong passion for and an innate drive to succeed at.

It’s perfectly healthy to want to master something. At a psychological level, it feels good and boosts are self-esteem to be really skilled and advanced in something (no matter what it is). So while we can’t be amazing at everything, we should aim to be amazing at something. I really believe this.

And once you have a “master skill,” building “side skills” will become that much easier. You already have a foundation to your skillset, so anything else you learn just amplifies your overall power and abilities.

So while being decent in a lot of skills is a good idea, don’t underestimate the power of actually wanting to become a “master” at something. Even if you know you’re shooting for an unrealistic ideal, it can take your motivation to the next level.



The importance of timing, luck, and patience

One of the most under-appreciated yet frustrating components to success is the importance of timing and luck.

The simple and sad truth is that many talented people don’t experience success because they never find the right opportunity (the right person, the right situation) to take advantage of their skills and talents. Thus their potential lays dormant and is never completely fulfilled.

There is only one real solution to this problem: boatloads of patience.

Once you have your skillset, you have everything you need to be successful. But now you need to wait for the right time to strike. Scott Adams uses the metaphor of a hunter picking his location and waiting for his prey:

“I was like a hunter who picks his forest location intelligently and waits in his blind for a buck to stroll by. The hunter still has to be lucky, but he manages his situation to increase his odds.”

While luck and chance will always play a role in the outcomes we get in life, we can find ways to take better advantage of luck when it crosses our path. However, we must be vigilant and ready for it. Ready to strike when the iron is hot.

If you position yourself for success by building a balanced skillset, you’ll eventually find success. But you have to keep plugging away, failing, trying again, and being persistent.

Psychologist Richard Wiseman is an expert on the psychology behind luck and how people can become “more lucky.” His famous book The Luck Factor covers four essential principles, including:

Lucky people are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities.

They make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings.

They create self-fulfilling prophecies by always having positive expectations.

They adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

So while luck and chance will always be a factor, there are ways we can get them to work in our favor if we stay open to these opportunities and are ready to strike when they arise.

Overall, if you expand your skillset you will be bound for success in your future. You just need to keep going forward, keep learning, keep your mind open, and understand that there’s a never-ending stream of opportunities to succeed right around the corner.



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