To be master of one, or jack of all trades? This has been the question I’ve been trying to answer to since the beginning of my undergraduate experience. There are a multitude of things to consider when trying to formulate a response to this question. I look into my past, and try to call upon experiences of timelines where I find myself losing sleep over one or a few important ideas. The first instance of this was during my early middle-school days, where I would skip meals to develop games of my own. That one idea would shift as I grew older- from person-to-person, into a career path. It has always been progress, and I am always at the height of this ever-present progress.

There are very few instances where I am lost in one thing over a long period of time. For many reasons, I have a strong tendency to dip my feet into something and quickly lose interest. I’ve made note of this, and made adjustments to combat this mostly through means of meditation and harvesting ideas from the mentors that I have access to both in-person, and online.

Something I have recently noted is the immense amount of courage it takes to try and develop a small handful of skills and interests in a world full of distraction and a seemingly infinite amount of possibilities.

I’ve been meaning to strongly give definition to these things, but I am currently still in the works of figuring out how many things I can tackle on at a given time. I think this is perfectly good, as I am still in the formative years of my life. I believe I should be exposing myself to as many things I can, so I can decide which of these things I wish to spend the rest of my life with. This list is extremely preliminary, and will be made finer as I develop a stronger understanding of my increasing skillset and interests, but it is my attempt to iron out some constants I wish to see in my future.

1. Software Engineering. I’ve definitely had my ups and downs with this all-encompassing field of study. I began with this major because many told me it was a “logical” choice, but I have recently developed a higher interest in mastering my skills as a developer. I notice a direct relation between understanding software at a higher level and making logical decisions in my life.
2. Relationships. I’ve struggled to open up to my peers at an emotional level. I’ve struggled with being the person I think people will accept versus who I really am. Granted, we are all not always the same versions of ourselves, I have since made it a point to be more honest with myself and others. I often dwell on this short, but effective quote by Napoleon Hill that helps me to be the best version of myself. “Ask yourself, Am I the kind of person I would like to have as a friend?” 
3. Martial Arts. The most recent interest of mine. I’ve been a fan of the UFC for a few years now, and made the choice to take on formal instruction 2 months ago. I have noticed increase in confidence and much-needed humility from Muay Thai. I will continue to pursue Muay Thai and another form of ground fighting martial arts (BJJ) to mesh together a practical combination of self-defense techniques.
4. Writing/Reading. To give myself the freedom and clarity of expressing emotion through words. To develop my vocabulary so that I don’t fall victim to a swelling discomfort that stems from the inability to express emotions through words. I believe there being a practicality to being able to speak well, so I will look to the skills I develop from reading/writing to translate into my skills as a conversationalist.