“Jack of all trades, master of none” is a figure of speech used in reference to a generalist: a person that is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any particular one.
Is that an insult, or a compliment? A person can be good at many things, and be a person who is respected, with a large tribe of people who will turn to her with questions and know that she will have a solution.
And a person can be good at many things, but when a job needs to get done, they may never be the one who is called. After all, would you hire someone who only changes their own oil to repair your timing belt?
I am good at many things, but I can’t be excellent at all of them at once. It requires time and effort to stay on top of the game. I can excel at work and write a great blog, but I can’t also create an amazing website template or keep up on my Squidoo lenses. I could possibly do all of those things and be an absentee parent, but that really isn’t an option. You understand.
My attention can’t always be in one direction. It needs to wander, to take care of different tasks. To be the best I can at what I need to focus on now, so later I can be the best at something else.
A jack of all trades? I think not. But I will master some.