# Jack of all trades



## fred327 (Apr 30, 2011)

Master of none...
Seems I lack direction. There are only a few things in life I really enjoy doing...(working on/in garage, movies, deer hunting, exploring).
I'm not reaaaly into sports although I'm liking baseball and football more and more. The problem is it seems I lack genuine interest to get into one thing very far. I like doing lotsa little things but don't like gettin too far into one thing. This annoys me about myself. I see other guys that are 100% into cars or sports or whatever but I seem to just like a little of everything. it kinda bothers me as it gives the appearance of lack of decision making ability which I know is unattractive. Anyone else have this Prollem?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## OhGeesh (Jan 5, 2010)

Yep, I bet I'm worse that you too......lol. I get little enjoyment in life except reading, kids, and most importantly my wife!! I do alot in life because I'm supposed to and it's the right thing to do. Give me a whole bunch of free time and I'll just veg and read all day, eat some good food, or work in the yard it's pretty depressing.

I will definitely grow old a lonely man by choice  just the way I'm made spent too many years trying to reinvent the wheel.


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## Lon (Jun 6, 2011)

I'm with you guys. Its hard to be "dominant" at something when I'm pretty good at just doing new things. Being great at something and working on it sure can define a direction but when you are like us your talent comes from having a wide range of aptitude but in my case not enough discipline - why get bogged down with something I'm never going to be great at when there is something new that I can get some kind of satisfaction from, except that attitude eventually pervades EVERY activity to the point where I just stay in and veg.

Find a man that is really good at only one thing and everyone loves him, women flock to him, he gets things out of it, money career fame sex, even if he's the stupidest a-hole in the world... but find an man with the certain mix of intelligence, curiosity and opinion and he just gets bored all the time has no lasting interest and gets no external rewards and looked upon as a "nice guy" with no sex appeal.:scratchhead:


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## jayde (Jun 17, 2011)

Hey Lon . . . I frequently describe myself the same way . . . jackass of all trades/master of none. And I used to feel a lot more the way you do. But, I am who I am. At 45, I even switched careers (to a much lower paying one but with greater satisfaction) because i couldn't see myself in my old job for another 20-25 years. And you know what??? So many guys my age hear what I'm doing and wish they could do the same - but they can't let go of what/who they are and take a chance.

I used to think that I'd get to a point of my career and then just cruise. i get jealous of people I've seen in the same job for 20 years and still be happy. I know I would be miserable.

Fugetabout the motor-head and sports-jocks. you got your stuff going on!


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## F-102 (Sep 15, 2010)

There's an old saying: "He who sips of many arts drinks of none."

Well, then-I'm dying of thirst! Sometimes I feel like Toad from "Wind in the Willows"-as soon as I get into one thing, my interests take me elsewhere. (Fortunately, I don't have this problem with my loved ones), but I'm always looking for something to stimulate me-always looking for something to grab my interests like when I was younger. Maybe age has something to do with it; I think it's like Christmas. Remember when you were a kid, and Christmas was this magical, wonderful time for us? And now, it's just another holiday.

Right now, my "flavor of the month" is WWII British aircraft, but in a month or two, I'll be over that and be totally into the Apollo Moon program, or maybe Helicopter warfare in Vietnam, or maybe even turn of the 20th Century steamships! I build lots of model planes and ships, so I always have an outlet for my wandering mind (though the workroom in the basement-my man cave, if you will-is always cluttered). But I know that these hobbies will always be around, and I can always go back to them.

Hey, at least life ain't too boring, huh?


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## Lon (Jun 6, 2011)

The term "master of my domain" has been reverberating in my head, and now with W gone from house I have a place to call my domain once again, time to master it I think, make this place mine, starting with repainting over the purple walls she made everywhere.


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

fred327 said:


> Master of none...
> Seems I lack direction. There are only a few things in life I really enjoy doing...(working on/in garage, movies, deer hunting, exploring).
> I'm not reaaaly into sports although I'm liking baseball and football more and more. The problem is it seems I lack genuine interest to get into one thing very far. I like doing lotsa little things but don't like gettin too far into one thing. This annoys me about myself. I see other guys that are 100% into cars or sports or whatever but I seem to just like a little of everything. it kinda bothers me as it gives the appearance of lack of decision making ability which I know is unattractive. Anyone else have this Prollem?


MY husband is very much like you , He is a Jack of all trades too-but nothing he is passionate about, can make his own tools in a pinch to finish a job on a vehicle to building almost anything. We save lots of $$ cause he is a Do it yourselfer. And I LOVE that about him, I find that very attractive. His biggest hobby is Me & our kids, he just lives for the his family. He has a small interest in locksmithing, metal dechecting , coins, trains & guns. 

Neither one of us like sports either, one thing I always appreciated about him since I hate them. We would both say the commercials are the only good thing about them. 


Just be who are you, if you can fix anything, you are a manly man.  That is worth gold. Put on that toolbelt and wear it proudly.


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## Lon (Jun 6, 2011)

Problem is when I "fix" something I tend to start tearing it down, researching it, find out what needs to be done to fix it then saying, "cool, now I know how I would fix it" Then interest wanes and I usually just leave all the parts in a big box ready to use in case I ever want to invent some kind of device.:scratchhead:


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

Lon said:


> Find a man that is really good at only one thing and everyone loves him, women flock to him, he gets things out of it, money career fame sex, even if he's the stupidest a-hole in the world...


 That's cause women are stupid much of the time 

I think what women are attracted to is the PASSION of an interest, anytime you see someone excel in something, it catches your attention. BUt not everyone in this world can be #1, ya know. Many just work quietly behind the scenes, accually these types do all the dirty work -where the kind you are talking about gets all the glory.

When you think about it, who really is more important ? 



> but find an man with the certain mix of intelligence, curiosity and opinion and he just gets bored all the time has no lasting interest and gets no external rewards and looked upon as a "nice guy" with no sex appeal.:scratchhead:


Well, it is a shame he gets bored & looses interest too fast if he can accomplish something meaningful, even if it is just for his family (little things can go such a long way, and when you die, you will be missed like no other- good if they can appreicate it when you are here though!) Even if he won't be recognized by friends or get an award. Is this really what matters?

ONce my kids had to do a project on someone who was famous , someone they admired who deserved our praise, my immediate respsonse by Jonas Salk (for the Polio vaccine) but the men behind the scenes, like Edward Jenner, who was so curious to why those who got COw pox was immuned from SMall pox, his curisoity & intelligence set the process of vaccines into our world. But noone recognizes his name. A shame really. 

The My Hero Project - Dr. Edward Jenner


People have lost what is really important in life. Don't beat yourself up but DO finish your projects, it's a start in the right direction.


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## AFEH (May 18, 2010)

Nothing wrong with being a jack of all trades. I can strip down and rebuild an engine all from a workshop manual, never been trained as a mechanic. I can write software and fix computers and do 3D design for house extensions. I take photos, stretch them onto canvas frames and sell them. Grow my own fruit and veg and construct brick walls and work with spreadsheets. There’s nothing I wont turn my hand to, just getting into Portuguese cooking and learning the language. All you need is loads of common sense, never to be afraid of making a mistake and understand it’s those things we really learn from and to always have the belief that whatever mistake you make you’ll always overcome it.


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## AFEH (May 18, 2010)

fred327 said:


> Master of none...
> Seems I lack direction. There are only a few things in life I really enjoy doing...(working on/in garage, movies, deer hunting, exploring).
> I'm not reaaaly into sports although I'm liking baseball and football more and more. The problem is it seems I lack genuine interest to get into one thing very far. I like doing lotsa little things but don't like gettin too far into one thing. This annoys me about myself. I see other guys that are 100% into cars or sports or whatever but I seem to just like a little of everything. it kinda bothers me as it gives the appearance of lack of decision making ability which I know is unattractive. Anyone else have this Prollem?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Try writing yourself a ten year plan. Start off with "Goals and Objectives"


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

How my husband learned how to be a REAL Mechanic is kinda a funny story. His dad never taught him too much, just brake shoes, changing fluids, little stuff. Then we got married, with our lust for country living, treacherous back roads & monster driveways we seriously needed a 4x4 to not kill ourselves. BUt $$ was tight, we had a little boy & I was not working, --but he wanted a TRUCK --he found this Chevy shortbed with a standard (did not want an automatic) with ALL new internal parts for a steal (I think it was $600 but had about $2,000 in new parts) -BUT the Truck was literally IN PEICES. I wish I would had gotten a picture of this -the CAB was being used for a makita DOG box when we went to this guys house! It is amazing we still wanted to buy it after seeing this 1st hand. I know this sounds horrendous but that is the point.

MY husband didn't know much at all but WANTED that truck badly, we talked about it knowing what a HUGE project this would be & needed some major help . Called a good friend who could make anything run , always in smash up derbys & such, took a good 3 weeks-but they rebuilt the motor, installed all those new parts, put this thing together, I video taped them attaching the Cab to the short bed, took about 5 guys, then we were ready for painting. 

For a time, we lived at the junk yard, taking our little boy in a wagon to spruce up his new "baby" - make it look good. What a project!! but OH what he learned through that experience.... How to rebuild a motor, he saw the workings of how a truck is literally put together, hoses , electrical, etc etc - which he has used over the years time & time again. My husband can fix almost anything BECAUSE of this experience. Well older vehicles anyway. 

Hope nobody recognizes the truck !  - here is right after we got it together and right after the paint job. He was so proud of himself. I was too.











He just let some friend take this truck away to the JUnkyard a month ago, as our family grew & grew & grew -it sit in our backyward for years. He is now wanting another one just like it, I was joking he must be going through a Mid Life Crisis. He is now looking on the internet for one.


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## Runs like Dog (Feb 25, 2011)

I do things until I don't think there's any payback in spending more time in getting better at it. Get most of the way up the learning curve then stop. This is why I refuse to play any video game. I just get to given skill and then it flattens out. Not willing to spend the next 1000 hours getting 5% better. 

I've rebuilt a bunch of things but mostly what I like about it is learning how to do it. The final product doesn't interest me. I built and then sold w/o any regrets 2 Porsche's and a '69 Mach 1 Mustang. 

I tune my wife's piano but I have no interest in doing it. It's just a way to save a hundred bucks. She's never happy with the voicing I get out of it and would prefer anyone but me do it. Even when I show here on the scope reading my results are exactly the same as anyone else's. Heck there's probably an iPhone app for it now.

I built some furniture and then stopped when I couldn't be bothered taking it to the next level. Maybe I'll learn how to fix acoustic guitars or something.


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## Lon (Jun 6, 2011)

RLD, like you its the process of learning something that I get "passionate" about, but its hard to find any meaning in that or make it something that can contribute in much any way except to our own curiosity. I guess I could be a professional student, but I get pretty uninterested once it gets to become too specialized. I get pretty embarassed if I have to explain to someone what exactly it is I do - If I were doing something that was needed I shouldn't have to elaborate on the reasons. make sense?


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## Runs like Dog (Feb 25, 2011)

Oh sure I understand that. I just make up stuff to tell the regulars


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## Cooper (Apr 18, 2008)

So what's wrong with having "lots" of different interest? Family aside there's really is nothing I'm passionate about but will try to do anything, give me a knife and a brain and sure, I think I can save the guy! And you know what? Because of all the different experiences I've had and all the things I have did I probably could save the guy! I've come to embrace the way I'm wired, I know that two years after I start a hobby I'll be moving on to something else, no big deal. Right now I bicycle, run and trap shoot weekly, next month? Who Knows! But I'll be doing it and I'll be good at it.


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## AFEH (May 18, 2010)

Lovely story SA! Believe it or not I’m right now looking to buy a pick-up. It’ll be near 30 years old. And I’ll enjoy working on it. When we were a young family the big ends had gone in the car. I bought a manual, changed the things and put it all back. No one more surprised than me when it went first time. It was in the winter, freezing cold. I’d got home from work, had my dinner then went into the garage and worked right through the night. Breakfast then off to work the next day. We were really quite poor but we got by.


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