The Lens of Investment
When I was in college I read a book that told me I shouldn't dabble in things. I don't remember the book or the specifics, but I do remember being impacted by the words to the point that I took all my yarn and needles, put them in a box, and shipped them to a friend in Boston. She was much more talented at knitting than I was. According to the author, if I didn't have the time to truly invest in something to become an expert in it, then I shouldn't do it at all.
What do you think of that opinion? Do you agree? Disagree? Years later, with a little more experience and gray hairs to prove it, I have to say that I no longer agree with this statement. Life is short, and if being bad at knitting brings you joy, then I say go for it. I will add, though, that when we dabble at a lot it can be hard to be successful at a lot. Developing skills takes time and energy, and troubleshooting problems requires a pool of knowledge that you don't get by just dabbling.
Andrew, for example, has been working on a garden. We were fortunate enough to have some good friends lend us their hydroponics system for the season so we could test out the process. I am, of course, using the universal "we" because I have not actually done anything (but I do plan on dabbling in eating the vegetables). He, on the other hand, has really gone all in with this. He's watched videos, read up on the system, and asked for help from someone with experience. It is for that reason that when some of the plants weren't doing well, he was able to figure out that it was just the result of a faulty part. He replaced the part, and now the plants are thriving.
This is something that he would not have been able to solve if he had just dabbled. He probably would have assumed that he was doing something wrong and the failed garden was because he was not a good gardener. He would have blamed himself, gotten frustrated, and probably never tried gardening again. If that had happened, it would have been a sad conclusion to come to because it wasn't his fault at all. He was doing everything right, he just wouldn't have invested enough time to learn all the intricacies of troubleshooting. Which is okay! Just because we don't have the time to be experts doesn't mean we can't enjoy some hobbies, we just need to make sure we don't compare our results to the results of the experts. We need to adjust our expectations accordingly, viewing our success through the lens of investment.
It's okay to dabble, just remember that dabbling means you're investing little. And if you invest little, then failure should have little impact on you.
