Jack of all trades, master of none. How often have you used this to describe yourself, and how has this made you feel?
I felt like an impostor every time I said this to someone in the past. Why? Because I felt flaky that there was nothing that I’d really ever mastered.
Interestingly, my journey as an entrepreneur has also brought me to similar reactions when I share with my journey with some people. I’ve received well-meaning advice from loved ones that usually leaves me feeling undervalued. What I’ve heard from my loved ones is that I’ve gone and tried X, and then tried Y, and then Z. … and when in the world was I going to just concentrate on that one thing and hone my skills at it? To many, it seems that my journey of exploration has led me nowhere, because I didn’t quite fit into their definition of ‘mastery’.
I spent 20 years in the world of Banking and Finance. And to those who’ve never worked within this industry, it appears that I’ve “mastered” this industry. In retrospect, the reality of it is that I’ve changed roles and jobs so many times within this industry, usually within 2 years. Here are some of the roles I’ve had in the past, spanning across Retail, Corporate and Private Banking:-
- Financial auditor
- Corporate finance associate
- Management accountant / analyst
- Product / Marketing manager
- Regional finance officer
- Business manager (front office)
- Strategic planning manager
- Business risk manager
- Compliance officer
Towards the end of my banking career, I realized that it was my versatility in being able to see things from many different points of view and understand the bigger picture that added value to my job and my stakeholders.
Likewise, I now see the value in all the steps I’ve taken in the last 5 years or so, exploring seemingly different topics/jobs, which were all related to the human’s wellbeing (physical, energetic, psychological, spiritual) that have given me this great foundation upon which I’ll continue to build.
Have you been criticizing yourself about why you couldn’t possibly find that one direction, that one specialization, because you see your peers specialize, achieve mastery, and get so successful with their careers? I would recommend removing yourself from their benchmark. Ask yourself what lessons you have learnt from all the various roles you’ve played in the past. Because maybe you weren’t meant to go in-depth into just one thing, and maybe your best asset was your own versatility, and your ability to learn many different things.
I have this astrological archetype in my natal chart called the Mercury-Jupiter aka The Philosopher. And this is exactly what I am – the person who goes through many different topics of interest and somehow has the ability to use this mishmash of information and knowledge to come up with something useful for my intended audience. So you can see that I don’t just use ONE technique, I use several techniques and apply them in my work to help my clients find meaning and purpose in their lives.
If you are curious about your Psychological Astrology Archetype and want to know how you can use this to find your ideal career, book a complimentary Discovery Call with me today. You can find out your strongest Archetypes and find out how best to utilize your strengths to their fullest potential during your Career Profiling session with me.
