SAILOR NOTES 022: Jack of Many Trades, Master of One.

More often than not, I find myself in close proximity to people who are masters of their craft, leaving me impressed and a bit envious. The saltwater fly angler that talks about water temp, tide rates and heights, which bait is actually in the bay system and so much more. It's the mechanic describing in detail every aspect of the motor, why the upgrade was better than the original or how well executed the engineers made the system out of the factory. For me, my desire to pursue nearly any activity that peaks a little interest pulls in too many directions to become a master. I am ok being competent in many and not a master in any. When ships come into port, they employ a harbor pilot to be their local master. Even a captain with decades of sea experience will not have the extensive knowledge of one waterway, the local language, which tugs are present and their capabilities and even how traffic flow will impact the speed of the docking/undocking. Professionally, I am a master which is maybe why I am content with competency in my leisure pursuits. The required hours one must put into a skill to master it is pitched as 10,000 hours, but we all know that is the barrier to entry only. Anyone wishing to master something does not pull back, because they never believe mastery has been achieved. You just get further into the minutia to make tweaks in the constant pursuit of perfection. I think it is quite alright to find a level of competence in your enjoyments so they remain that, an enjoyment. Some people will show their competency while boasting of the mastery. Please refrain from talking up your skills, it looks far worse getting out of tangled boasting than getting out of an actual mess from lack of skills. This is not a pitch for mediocrity though. I'm advocating to not let the barriers of becoming a master shy you away from so many pursuits that are out there. When that master of something scoffs at your lack in knowledge or ability, did you really want to spend your own free time around a person like that? Return on Investment Life is an abstract assortment of occurrences, nearly impossible to calculate all of it with certainty, but you can measure some parts. This is the ROI equation you should consider. What is your return on investment when pursuing anything? The final answer can be measured in time and/or money, but put forth a serious consideration when you reach competency on whether you will become the master, or you will surround yourself with masters. Let's just take salt water fly fishing on the TX coast for example. If I bought a decent poling skiff that wasn't going to require constant work, we're in for $40,000 easy. We aren't even talking about the expense on fuel, tackle, storage and insurance for starters then the time getting your boat to/from the ramp, scouting for better success, cleaning and maintenance. How many fishing trips can you book with primo guides before even breaking even on the time and money? We aren't even talking about success rates in this. The next time you reach the fork in the road between hobby and passion, consider that ROI equation. There is no shame employing the service of masters in their craft to enhance your time. In The Presence of Masters You should put into every situation more than you will take away from it. That may be from a financial transaction for someone's times or it could be from the effort you give them to return the favor. If you want to be a better bow hunter, find an archery shop to talk shop with people geeking out over it. Pick the brain of a mechanic or watch Youtube videos to learn how to wrench on your own equipment. This is directed more at old stuff that doesn't require fancy computers for every tweak. By now you get my drift on where to find masters. Don't show up expecting them to unload that wealth of knowledge out of the kindness of their hearts. They have lives and time restrictions of their own and this knowledge didn't come to them overnight. Being a sponge, respect their time and don't fall into the group of 'beat it kid, you're bothering me.' We only have so much time on this earth and I don't know how to buy any more. On the other hand you can find ways to make more money. Not that it will resolve the issue, but one has a finite limitation you must personally weight on how it is consumed. Keep that in mind when those forks in the road arise, do I pursue competency here to have more time to do multiple things or do I desire to be the master in this? You are the only one that can answer this question, but it should be asked before you've gone so far that looking back will deliver resentment. The time is gone, choose wisely along the way. Thanks for reading The Sailing Board! Subscribe to receive new posts.