Want to Be an Expert?

Lately, I’ve been damning myself with the question of what my own personal expertise is. So many people seem to have that one thing that they are incredible at. What’s mine? This is something that has plagued me for a while without me even realizing it.

I’ve quit a bunch of jobs, I’ve stuck with too many jobs at once… I’ve done it all. I’ve gone from this hobby, to that hobby, to another hobby to no end. Why? Because I’ve been searching. What is it that I am going to be amazing at?

There have been two things working against me. Number one, I’m capable of being good at a lot of different things. I’ve become a “jack of all trades, master of none.” I’ve even been proud of this fact not truly realizing what it meant. It means I have been very A.D.D. in my choosing of pursuits.

People smarter than me say that it takes 6-10 years to master something. That is, to become an expert.

Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. -Albert Einstein

What I’ve been missing is focus. I’ve forgotten that if I want to make a name for myself in one particular thing, I need to devote time, energy, and the entirety of me into it.

So now we have it. If you want to be good at something, you just have to pick one thing. Don’t settle, but keep searching until you find the thing that consumes the whole heart of you and tears at your every fiber.

…do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. -Steve Jobs