A Jack of All Trades is Actually a Good Thing

The phrase “a jack of all trades is a master of none” has been jacked up in our culture and used as an insult, but we got it all wrong.

“Jacqueline of All Trades” was designed by Author (Carmellita) in Canva

Excellence, greatness, and success, there are countless avenues you can take in life to experience the best of your human potential. It is natural to want to be viewed as capable, intelligent, and skilled.

Nevertheless, some think they know what success, greatness, and excellence should look like on you. They want to define it. Point to it. Categorize it.

Carmellita is ____________ (only one word or phrase is often permitted).

But what if you and I can do many things well?

Many of us have heard the phrase:

“A jack of all trades is a master of none.”

And to be honest, the above phrase is a subtle insult.

Jack of All Trades is a colloquialism used to describe a person that knows how to do lots of things. For example, a person who knows how to build websites, edit videos, can reupholster furniture, and is a 3rd-degree blackbelt in Taekwondo would be considered a Jack of All Trades.

But how did this become an insult in our culture? At one point in our culture, knowing how to do many things didn’t serve the…