I got the notification for this newsletter within one minute of thinking about my multiple areas of interest and wondering how there could ever be enough time in life to pursue them. I take this as confirmation that it can be done. I'm going to pick 2 artistic projects and finish them this month.
Do it! You deserve to. We are the new renaissance people. I’m so excited to see what art/ideas/enterprise comes from people owning the full spectrum of their potential.
Dan’s point about modern working structures is something I say to people all the time. With the internet we don’t need to confine ourselves anymore - the job market has proven that, companies don’t care. And with AI in the mix being able to execute singular roles, it’s really going to expedite the need to lean into your uniqueness.
I would also add that having a vision for your contribution to the world will help you determine the priority of your ideas (like how much of each one you ‘need’).
But I believe you have to build something first and not get stuck overthinking + inaction.
Polymaths have a tendency to do that - it’s something I’ve struggled with for years. The desire to solve that problem is the entire reason I started my Substack 🙏🏽
Its so true! Everyone always says “Jack of all trades is a master of none”, but they don’t add the rest which is “But often times better than a master of one.” Its true that you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew, but we set unrealistic standards too fast and get discouraged when we don’t see progress, but by taking on more and more gradually, youll find yourself more fulfilled and better at time management!
YES! The original 16th century term "jack of all trades" (Latin: Johannes factotum) was actually a compliment, praising a person's versatility, adaptability, and broad knowledge, which was highly valued in earlier times. The phrase" master of none" was added in the 18th century, shifting the meaning to a criticism that someone dabbled in too many things without depth or expertise in any area. The final clause, "but often better than a master of one", was lost over time, leading to the widely used fragment today. The full phrase is coming back to celebrate the benefits of a diverse skillset. :-)
I learned this phrase yesterday from my friend! I was amazed, because was just telling him how passionate I was about helping people take action on their ideas…
But the pervasive stereotype that polymaths aren’t truly proficient in the things they pick up can hold them back from their potential. It’s nonsense really.
People just need good systems to help them see things through and not collect more unfinished ideas. Because the world needs more unique genius. I’m currently building my own system to do that, it’s really exciting
My art teacher once told me “You have such great ideas but you never seem to finish them” and I knew that was true but the fact that she had called me out on it really made me reflect that my executions were enough to get me “by” but I wasn’t proud enough because they didn’t feel like what i really wanted, and living for yourself is where to start. You just got to get through the L’s you take in the process.
I’ve also struggled with starting MANY things but lacking the execution and follow through. I’m in the process of learning to be more particular with which projects and subjects I prioritize so I can see them through. But it’s refreshing to know that having excitement and desire to explore so many paths is not the bad thing most people make it out to be, and many others enjoy it as well!
I so relate to this - a grad school professor once said I should be a specialist and not a generalist because the intersections I was writing about “didn’t make sense” - I said “they don’t make your sense as a 70 year old man, but they make my sense as a 25 year old woman” - it took 20 years to start pushing back and stop accepting someone else’s limiting views of me as a truth I have to subscribe to, but I’m grateful it took 20 and not a lifetime
My friend today just told me that “you know I’ve always seen you as an innovator and an early adopter”. My response was “what do you mean by that?”
He said “You taught me about crypto investing. You gave me ideas about businesses or about general life but yet you never implemented these because you were not consistent.”
I started thinking because I always was told that I had the “shiny object syndrome” or I was “analysis-paralysis” and that was because I had so many ideas that I just did not know what to go ahead with. Eventually, execution became tiring but researching the topic gave me the buzz like I was about to create the next big thing.
I always knew I had issues with consistency and the same thing that I learned, adopted then became a trend that people went onto do bigger things with just because they were consistent, while I was chasing the new shiny toy on the block.
This post is a sign for me to chase my 2-3 interests and just stick with them and build them until they decide to flourish or die.
I often say, "Jack of all trades, master of all" because every bit of knowledge gained is a department in my organization/company. So, I have the knowledge then I find a competent hand to manage that resource for maximization of it's potential. I can save my organization $xxx because I know how to than paying to get someone who's an expert, taking into consideration - time factor, efficiency, speed of delivery. It's similar to knowing how to administer a first aid but on a deeper level.
The following words were written on the tomb of an Anglican bishop in the crypts of Westminster Abbey which is truly inspiring and echo with the first idea.
“When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it. And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.”
Respire. Aspire. Perspire. Inspire. Sometimes growth begins with a breath, a dream, the hard work, and then the spark we pass on to others.
Everywhere I look, I see people like you (with all due respect) shouting: “Get out of your comfort zone.” “Build an agency.” “Make money online.” “Become a niche.” “Start an AI business.”
And honestly, it feels similar to the old traditional script: “Go to school.” “Get a degree.” “Get a job.” “Work until retirement.”
Consciously, I accept the first path building a niche, starting an agency, creating wealth, and making my parents and loved ones happy and safe.
But I’ve realized something scary.
If someone only consumes this content, keeps planning and planning, but never takes action staying in a safe mental zone they might end up worse than both: The one who took action
Sartre said, "Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself." Indeed, it is our choices that shape who we are. Human existence manifests through action—without action, there is no true meaning to existence. I often remind myself of this to stay proactive, and I hope it inspires you as well.
Sometimes I'm asking myself if the struggle with “multiple interests” isn’t about focus at all, but about needing those interests to eventually resolve into something legible to others⁉️
Some people do not lack direction. They lack permission to let their curiosity remain non-optimized for a while.
Clarity often shows up after the need to make it useful disappears.
The Prussian school system many of us inherited was designed to create reliable worker bees, not free thinkers.
You were trained to defer judgment to authority, follow instructions, and stay within clearly marked lanes. Smart enough to operate the system. Not independent enough to question it (paraphrasing the late George Carlin).
You don’t need a conspiracy to explain this. Industrial economies reward predictability, not sovereignty.
The production line simply adapted to the modern era and became digital. The obedience requirement stayed the same.
Not even "worker bees", more like cannon fodder. Expendable, useless, dumb as f*** as the saying goes. No military medal compensates for the true loss of lives, both the killed and the "victors". No academic certificate compensates for the complete destruction of creative enquiry, curiosity and real skills acquisition. Education - how to lead people astray from true knowledge and sap their souls.
The recent conflicts and upcoming ones that are being built right now are really about reducing the ‘useless eaters’ (their words to describe the masses).
AI and robotic productivity gains means they don’t need as many humans.
The entire plandemic was about reducing population, and it continues to cause long-term health issues that lead to early death. They designed the virus and the vax so it would be lethal either way, but if you didn't die from Covid, at least you would need to spend money on life-sustaining drugs for a while.
This reminded me of my parents who never understood why I moved from one job to another wanting something more. It took my mum the longest time to stop mentioning that - that moving wasn’t a good thing, that staying in one place was the thing to do.
I'm a dynamic person with lots of interests. I satisfy my interests with a couple newsletters her on SubStack is completely different niches like Marketing and business, Survival and Bitcoin.
The education system tries to create one dimensional factory workers.
Very cool read. Im in the middle of trying to build my own thing and I have been getting discouraged. I dont have a particular skill, I just like to learn and make stuff. This makes me feel like a poser. Your article made me feel like I should keep trying and eventually it'll all come together. Thanks for posting this.
After reading this word to word, I was very surprised thinking how come the thought process of two people could overlap so much. I have had the exact same experience multiple times while reading the art of focus. I felt like it was my life story written in a book. Few months ago, I have created a newsletter with this very same purpose share the insights on the path of polymathy, and now you have posted this. I don't think its a mere coincidence. Feels like planned Synchronicity theory of Carl Jung at work in real world.
Multiple interests become your unfair advantage when you synthesize them. The problem is picking one path and ignoring the rest instead of combining them.
“Your edge lies more in intersection than it does in expertise.”
Could not agree more with this Dan. Being at the intersection of medicine, AI and philosophy gave me a massive advantage (once i stopped worrying about not becoming a specialized worker, which as a doctor is considered almost a must!)
I got the notification for this newsletter within one minute of thinking about my multiple areas of interest and wondering how there could ever be enough time in life to pursue them. I take this as confirmation that it can be done. I'm going to pick 2 artistic projects and finish them this month.
It seems that having multiple interests can be seen as a weakness, a flaw or just a distracted person that can’t make their mind up.
It’s refreshing to hear a perspective that challenges and promotes pursuing multiple interests.
I agree
Rishabh. Design is one of the many interests I’m involved in, gave you a follow!
Do it! You deserve to. We are the new renaissance people. I’m so excited to see what art/ideas/enterprise comes from people owning the full spectrum of their potential.
Dan’s point about modern working structures is something I say to people all the time. With the internet we don’t need to confine ourselves anymore - the job market has proven that, companies don’t care. And with AI in the mix being able to execute singular roles, it’s really going to expedite the need to lean into your uniqueness.
I would also add that having a vision for your contribution to the world will help you determine the priority of your ideas (like how much of each one you ‘need’).
But I believe you have to build something first and not get stuck overthinking + inaction.
Polymaths have a tendency to do that - it’s something I’ve struggled with for years. The desire to solve that problem is the entire reason I started my Substack 🙏🏽
Love it
Big up!
cheer up !
Its so true! Everyone always says “Jack of all trades is a master of none”, but they don’t add the rest which is “But often times better than a master of one.” Its true that you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew, but we set unrealistic standards too fast and get discouraged when we don’t see progress, but by taking on more and more gradually, youll find yourself more fulfilled and better at time management!
thats why I appreciate this app, it surrounds you with like minded people and we can build up and support one another!
100%. I feel blessed that it exists man. Also just realised you started writing the same time as me lol, gonna have a gander at your stuff now
YES! The original 16th century term "jack of all trades" (Latin: Johannes factotum) was actually a compliment, praising a person's versatility, adaptability, and broad knowledge, which was highly valued in earlier times. The phrase" master of none" was added in the 18th century, shifting the meaning to a criticism that someone dabbled in too many things without depth or expertise in any area. The final clause, "but often better than a master of one", was lost over time, leading to the widely used fragment today. The full phrase is coming back to celebrate the benefits of a diverse skillset. :-)
I learned this phrase yesterday from my friend! I was amazed, because was just telling him how passionate I was about helping people take action on their ideas…
But the pervasive stereotype that polymaths aren’t truly proficient in the things they pick up can hold them back from their potential. It’s nonsense really.
People just need good systems to help them see things through and not collect more unfinished ideas. Because the world needs more unique genius. I’m currently building my own system to do that, it’s really exciting
My art teacher once told me “You have such great ideas but you never seem to finish them” and I knew that was true but the fact that she had called me out on it really made me reflect that my executions were enough to get me “by” but I wasn’t proud enough because they didn’t feel like what i really wanted, and living for yourself is where to start. You just got to get through the L’s you take in the process.
I’ve also struggled with starting MANY things but lacking the execution and follow through. I’m in the process of learning to be more particular with which projects and subjects I prioritize so I can see them through. But it’s refreshing to know that having excitement and desire to explore so many paths is not the bad thing most people make it out to be, and many others enjoy it as well!
I so relate to this - a grad school professor once said I should be a specialist and not a generalist because the intersections I was writing about “didn’t make sense” - I said “they don’t make your sense as a 70 year old man, but they make my sense as a 25 year old woman” - it took 20 years to start pushing back and stop accepting someone else’s limiting views of me as a truth I have to subscribe to, but I’m grateful it took 20 and not a lifetime
That's why I say: I'm not a jack of all trades, I'm a master of many.
You can do many things, but you can also have seasons where you focus more on one thing than the other, without discharging other projects.
yes absolutely agree!
My friend today just told me that “you know I’ve always seen you as an innovator and an early adopter”. My response was “what do you mean by that?”
He said “You taught me about crypto investing. You gave me ideas about businesses or about general life but yet you never implemented these because you were not consistent.”
I started thinking because I always was told that I had the “shiny object syndrome” or I was “analysis-paralysis” and that was because I had so many ideas that I just did not know what to go ahead with. Eventually, execution became tiring but researching the topic gave me the buzz like I was about to create the next big thing.
I always knew I had issues with consistency and the same thing that I learned, adopted then became a trend that people went onto do bigger things with just because they were consistent, while I was chasing the new shiny toy on the block.
This post is a sign for me to chase my 2-3 interests and just stick with them and build them until they decide to flourish or die.
Thanks for reading
You are not alone in that feeling man, I often feel like that too, love the learning process but struggle to implement.
I just heard the whole of that saying recently.
Also “the customer is always right” is left unfinished as well
“The customer is always right in matters of taste”
I have a perspective to this:
I often say, "Jack of all trades, master of all" because every bit of knowledge gained is a department in my organization/company. So, I have the knowledge then I find a competent hand to manage that resource for maximization of it's potential. I can save my organization $xxx because I know how to than paying to get someone who's an expert, taking into consideration - time factor, efficiency, speed of delivery. It's similar to knowing how to administer a first aid but on a deeper level.
Exactly
Literally came here to say this!! I hate how the ending always gets left off
Exactly I love filling in the black with the rest of the story!
The following words were written on the tomb of an Anglican bishop in the crypts of Westminster Abbey which is truly inspiring and echo with the first idea.
“When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it. And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.”
Respire. Aspire. Perspire. Inspire. Sometimes growth begins with a breath, a dream, the hard work, and then the spark we pass on to others.
I love this.
Love this. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve started to feel like I’m stuck in a loop.
Everywhere I look, I see people like you (with all due respect) shouting: “Get out of your comfort zone.” “Build an agency.” “Make money online.” “Become a niche.” “Start an AI business.”
And honestly, it feels similar to the old traditional script: “Go to school.” “Get a degree.” “Get a job.” “Work until retirement.”
Consciously, I accept the first path building a niche, starting an agency, creating wealth, and making my parents and loved ones happy and safe.
But I’ve realized something scary.
If someone only consumes this content, keeps planning and planning, but never takes action staying in a safe mental zone they might end up worse than both: The one who took action
and the one who followed the traditional path.
And I’m afraid I’m becoming that person.
It scares me at night.
But in the morning, I still delay and decay.
This is not a reply.
This is just me shouting what’s in my mind. 👍
“But in the morning, I still delay and decay”
What relatable poetry
Thank you 🤝
💯
It may help to ask yourself what is it that you truly want, like what is your end goal?
Thank you I will do it.
Relatable.
Just take action… it’s not that deep
Yeah That's where I fail but that's the only option!. "Life rewards action".
Sartre said, "Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself." Indeed, it is our choices that shape who we are. Human existence manifests through action—without action, there is no true meaning to existence. I often remind myself of this to stay proactive, and I hope it inspires you as well.
Human existence manifests through action - on point.
Thank you 👍
Sometimes things just happen…let life do it's miracle
Hope it does 🫶
They ask us to prune the garden until only one branch remains. But I am the soil, the water, and the wild root refusing to sleep.
To be a single thing is to die while your chest is still moving. Why lock the universe in a drawer labeled with a job title?
I gather fragments of the world to build a mirror that holds the sky. My heart is not a rented room; it is the open street.
Do not apologize for the chaos that makes you whole. We are not here to be filed away like paper.
We are here to burn the filing cabinet and warm our hands.
🙌Beautifully said.
Sometimes I'm asking myself if the struggle with “multiple interests” isn’t about focus at all, but about needing those interests to eventually resolve into something legible to others⁉️
Some people do not lack direction. They lack permission to let their curiosity remain non-optimized for a while.
Clarity often shows up after the need to make it useful disappears.
- Double🆔️
This.
The Prussian school system many of us inherited was designed to create reliable worker bees, not free thinkers.
You were trained to defer judgment to authority, follow instructions, and stay within clearly marked lanes. Smart enough to operate the system. Not independent enough to question it (paraphrasing the late George Carlin).
You don’t need a conspiracy to explain this. Industrial economies reward predictability, not sovereignty.
The production line simply adapted to the modern era and became digital. The obedience requirement stayed the same.
Not even "worker bees", more like cannon fodder. Expendable, useless, dumb as f*** as the saying goes. No military medal compensates for the true loss of lives, both the killed and the "victors". No academic certificate compensates for the complete destruction of creative enquiry, curiosity and real skills acquisition. Education - how to lead people astray from true knowledge and sap their souls.
The recent conflicts and upcoming ones that are being built right now are really about reducing the ‘useless eaters’ (their words to describe the masses).
AI and robotic productivity gains means they don’t need as many humans.
The entire plandemic was about reducing population, and it continues to cause long-term health issues that lead to early death. They designed the virus and the vax so it would be lethal either way, but if you didn't die from Covid, at least you would need to spend money on life-sustaining drugs for a while.
This reminded me of my parents who never understood why I moved from one job to another wanting something more. It took my mum the longest time to stop mentioning that - that moving wasn’t a good thing, that staying in one place was the thing to do.
I highly recommend Barbara Sher's books:
"Refuse to Choose"
"I Could Do Anything if I Only Knew What it Was"
"It's Only Too Late I'd You Don't Start Now"
I'm a dynamic person with lots of interests. I satisfy my interests with a couple newsletters her on SubStack is completely different niches like Marketing and business, Survival and Bitcoin.
The education system tries to create one dimensional factory workers.
I say resist and be you. All of you.
Lord… praise be! 👏 I can’t tell you how often I preached this over the last 30 years but would get drowned out by the masses.
And what you said…. Yes yes yes!!!!!!!!! You explained it like the genius you are. Yes!!! Thank you! 🙌
Now let’s quit being normal and get on with being unique.
Very cool read. Im in the middle of trying to build my own thing and I have been getting discouraged. I dont have a particular skill, I just like to learn and make stuff. This makes me feel like a poser. Your article made me feel like I should keep trying and eventually it'll all come together. Thanks for posting this.
After reading this word to word, I was very surprised thinking how come the thought process of two people could overlap so much. I have had the exact same experience multiple times while reading the art of focus. I felt like it was my life story written in a book. Few months ago, I have created a newsletter with this very same purpose share the insights on the path of polymathy, and now you have posted this. I don't think its a mere coincidence. Feels like planned Synchronicity theory of Carl Jung at work in real world.
https://open.substack.com/pub/ravikulkarni/p/the-polymaths-ledger?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=5lw3pz
Would honestly love to see the prompts you use for header images
Multiple interests become your unfair advantage when you synthesize them. The problem is picking one path and ignoring the rest instead of combining them.
“Your edge lies more in intersection than it does in expertise.”
Could not agree more with this Dan. Being at the intersection of medicine, AI and philosophy gave me a massive advantage (once i stopped worrying about not becoming a specialized worker, which as a doctor is considered almost a must!)