I have friends who are dancers. I have friends who are artists. I have friends who are sports players. I have friends who are skilled in technology. All of my friends have a unique identity because of their particular skills. However, if you ask my friends about me, they won't associate me with any particular field.
I have always been confused about my career. I am good at academics, dance, art, sports, and probably everything else, but I do not have the confidence to move ahead in any one field. That's because I have never been the master of any field. I have always been a Jack throughout my school life. Being an all-rounder was never an advantage for me. To be honest, it often filled me with self-doubt and made me question my talents. It made me feel useless. I knew I was better than many other jacks, but the real competition lay against the masters of those fields. I have always been jealous of the people who proudly call themselves district level cricket players, national level debaters, and so on and so forth.
What if I choose a particular path and find out that it was just an amateur's liking towards it and never anything professional. What if I go with finance only to find out I am made for creative fields like designing?
In my initial days of college, the feelings worsened.
I didn't know how to introduce myself to others.
I found it very difficult to get into society with no idea of what I was really capable of.
Then one day, I came across the entire quote,
"A jack of all trades but a master of none,
is always better than a master of one."
My life has changed since then. I started comparing myself with all others with an optimistic approach. I started to realise the diversity within me. I realised how lucky I am compared to most others in terms of exploring the world. I realised that it's okay if I am still finding my purpose. I am at least better than the masters of sports on the dance floor, than the masters of dance on the sports field, than the masters of debate on the canvas, and better than the masters of art on the podium. I am better than the majority of the masters. There has been no looking back since then, and I started to proudly introduce myself as,
"A creative being who is trying to know a little about a lot of things."
By LISIKA AGARWAL / MARCH 13, 2022