Posts tagged mantra

This year, I am forcing myself to implement a new mantra: “Do less, more.”

I have a business coach that I work with, and in evaluating my performance last year he helped me realize a few things.  I didn’t reach all the goals I set for 2009, but it was not because I am incapable or lacked the knowledge or skills to do so.  Far from it.

I am good at everything I do.

I don’t say this to brag; in fact, I now realize it’s my tragic flaw.

A lot of people try new things and stink at them their first time out.  Others lack the work ethic to develop the skills that could make them great.  As a result, they identify the one thing they are the “best” at in their life and make it their mission to develop that one skill.

I, on the other hand, don’t like to fail.  If I’m not good at something right away, I work at it until I excel.  I love the challenge of trying new things.  I’m good at analyzing situations and systems and figuring out how they work.  And I have the drive and persistence to work at them until they are right.

But as a result, I often spread myself too thin.  Just because I can learn something new doesn’t mean I should. My coach made this point: “If you’re constantly reading about new systems or strategies, that means you aren’t implementing what you already know.”  If I’m not implementing what I already know, why did I spend the time/money/effort learning those skills in the first place?

So as a result, I will “do less, more” in 2010.  I am focusing my efforts on a few key areas and outsourcing the rest. As the old adage goes, “a jack of all trades is a master of none”.  So instead of acquiring new skills, I plan on using this year to become an expert on a handful topics instead of becoming “good” at a lot more.

Once I become the expert I know I can be, then I will work to use those skills and expand them into other areas of my life.

Do you think it’s better to become an “expert” in a given field (and possibly keep all of your eggs in one basket), or do you think it’s better to apply what you know across many different fields in hopes that one “sticks”?