Friends! Good morning.

I have a question that has been plaguing me for a while now.

Maybe you can help?

When does one become a master at something?

By default of my blog- I am a Wannabe Historian. I have a degree in history. I also have advanced certificates in Historic Preservation and American Studies. However, I do not teach or have a published article or book on a specific time frame or person. I do not work in a museum or preserve anything. I write random blogs on unknown historical facts and spend a lot of time watching real historians’ YouTube videos, but I lay no claim to fame.

I have a garden club, so I am a Wannabe Gardener. However, I forgot to harvest my broccoli because it started growing pretty little yellow flowers, and I liked how they looked. I grew tomatoes, but my dog ate them before I noticed that they had developed. I rely on YouTube videos and blogs written by Master Gardeners to get my information. I have five books on how to plan a garden- they all have dust on them. I have 17 containers to plant things in, but none of my peppers seemed to grow larger than 3 inches. I don’t think my house is making it into Home and Gardens anytime soon.

I have a book club, so I am a Wannabe Master Reader. However, I wouldn’t say I like Shakespeare or understand poetry. I am a great fan of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson- but that is because I have watched the Netflix series and all the movies ever released, not because I have ever read the books- I don’t even own the books. I have over 300 books between my office, kitchen counter, bedroom nightstand, spare room shelves, and a few hiding in various places around the house, but I can’t for the life of me remember at the drop of a hat the author or even the title. I can remember what it was about, but that is the scope of my knowledge.

I like to fish from the shorelines and spend many weekends doing it, but I am not a Master Fisherman. I actually can’t tell the difference between a Rainbow Trout and a Graylin. I spend more time watching the skies for those pesky American Eagles that hate me or reading. I love dropping my line into the water and patiently waiting for something to come to me. Unfortunately, I do not engage enough to get something on the line actively. However, I am great at packing lunch, drinks, bug spray, and toilet paper. I also am not a massive fan of spending days on a boat fishing! I need to move, explore, pee without my ass hanging off the edge…so I am not even a great boatsman.

I like to hunt, but I am no Master Hunter. I frequently forget to pack the necessary items to make it a successful hunt because I am more worried about having the right lens for my camera. I always start a training plan to get ready for the fall; I am in the middle of it right now. Yet, it was the holidays, and then I got COVID- so unless training counts playing Beat Sabers on my virtual reality device- I am not sure if I am on the road to success.

I love to travel, but I am not a Master Traveler! I frequently travel during the warmer months- but at the age of 40 something, I just applied for my first passport a couple of weeks ago. It seemed like a lot of work to go to the post office for 30 minutes to take a picture and submit the 2-page form. I also have a small problem- I like my coffee pot, and I haven’t figured out how to pack it in my suitcase if we are traveling by any means other than a car. That puts a damper on going anywhere outside of the great walls of Alaska. To be a Master Traveler, you have to leave the confines of your country, and I have yet to do that unless the Federal Government paid for my plane ticket.

I am a Wannabe Writer! I have two books sitting on my computer right now, but I lose momentum regarding love scenes or detailed plot twists. I enjoy writing humorous stories about my life; however, I mostly do that in hopes that I will meet another 40 something year old who is also struggling when they should have their shit together by society standards.

I am a wannabe artist…but if I could take a picture for you of my half-done art projects sitting in my office, it would make you cringe. The Halloween pumpkin that I started in Aug? Its in a drawer waiting for the start of the next holiday season. The $45.00 wooden Nutcracker that I bought in November? It is sitting on top of my computer right now, staring at me with its judgemental eyes because I have only painted 1/2 of it. The winter blanket I started two years ago for my son’s bed? It is stuffed on the bottom shelf on my bookcase and could maybe cover him up to his knees.

If I could have saved myself from buying all this stuff that is half done in my house- I would have the house paid off!

Should I just hang it up and just focus on one project? How long do I need to focus for? Do I spend three months just fishing, three months just hunting, three months writing, and three months trying to finish art projects for winter?

Do I schedule an hour here and an hour there for home projects? Then, I could set a timer and move on to the next thing when it goes off.

But once again, I would need to quit my day job to do that.

Back to the question at hand! What makes one a master at something? I need to know, and then I will have a goal to work towards. So the next question is- which hobby should I become a master at?

Procrastination is the one thing that I know for a fact that I am a master at! Can you get recognized for that?

What are your thoughts?