You can’t be great at everything—and you were never meant to be.

In Episode 004 of Better Bible Business, Paul Erickson explores specialization, mastery, and faithful stewardship through an unlikely starting point: a root canal.

What does the Bible say about developing skill? And how can Christian business owners faithfully concentrate what God has entrusted to them so they can become exceptionally useful in serving others?

We’ll look at Proverbs 22:29 and biblical examples of skilled work, along with examples from Steve Martin, Bruce Dickinson, and Steve Jobs — yes, seriously!

Three questions to consider:

• STEWARDSHIP: What has God entrusted to me?
• MASTERY: What deserves deeper development?
• SERVICE: Who becomes better served if I get exceptionally good at it?

Be smart. Be good. Be humble. Be active.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction
00:19 You Can’t Be Great at Everything
01:06 Lesson From a Root Canal
04:45 What Specialization Really Means
13:34 Why Specialize?
19:36 Specialization is Mastery
24:19 Specialization is Service
26:09 Conclusion

🎁 FREE: 7-DAY BIBLICAL ENTREPRENEUR DEVOTIONAL
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Better Bible Business helps Christian entrepreneurs apply biblical truth to the practical realities of business, leadership, marketing, work, and life.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers
Photo: TriviaKing at English Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Cropped/scaled for video.

Bruce Dickinson at Campus Party
Photo: Campus Party Brasil, via Wikimedia Commons
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Cropped/scaled for video.

Steve Jobs at Macworld 2005
Photo: mylerdude, via Wikimedia Commons
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 (CC BY 2.0).
Cropped/scaled for video.

Ed Force One (Boeing 747)
Photo: Foto-dus, via Wikimedia Commons
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Cropped/scaled for video.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

Scripture referenced:
Proverbs 22:29; Ezra 7:6; Psalm 45:1; Exodus 31:1–6; Exodus 35:30–35; 1 Chronicles 12; 1 Chronicles 25:6–7; 1 Kings 7:13–14; Romans 12:4–8; Philippians 1:10.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV).

STEVE MARTIN
Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Martin

Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life — Steve Martin
https://link.amazon/B0dKtktX6

BRUCE DICKINSON
Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Dickinson

What Does This Button Do?: An Autobiography — Bruce Dickinson
https://link.amazon/B05hoQPDL

STEVE JOBS
Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs

Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson
https://link.amazon/B03Vwx1cJ

FURTHER READING
So Good They Can’t Ignore You — Cal Newport
https://link.amazon/B0fHsRXsW

Some book links above are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, Better Bible Business may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

VINCE LOMBARDI
“Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”
Vince Lombardi — Quotes
https://vincelombardi.com/quotes/

Transcript

[00:00:00] Intro: You’re listening to the Better Bible Business Podcast with the world’s greatest host, Paul Erickson. Is that good, Dad?

[00:00:14] Paul: Howdy, friend, and welcome to Better Bible Business. I’m Paul Erickson. I love a good root canal, don’t you? Nobody in their right mind has ever said that, but I’ll come back to that in a moment. Years ago, I was making a big mistake in my business, and I think it’s a pretty common mistake, especially for sole proprietors, freelancers, and small businesses.

[00:00:39] I was saying yes to every project that came along. On the surface, this sounds reasonable because one might think that would lead to more work, that saying yes would create more opportunity. What I didn’t take into account is saying yes to everything made me a commodity. Saying yes to everything led to accepting lousy, high-maintenance, low-paying clients.

[00:01:07] Saying yes to everything led to extreme burnout. I got discouraged, frustrated, and started to doubt my abilities. And then I remembered one of the best business lessons I have ever learned from when I got a root canal. Many, many years ago, my general dentist gave me a referral to an endodontist, a dentist that specializes in root canals.

[00:01:33] Now, if you’ve had a root canal, you know they are not a pleasant experience. That’s probably an understatement. This doctor of root canals was fantastic. He made me feel comfortable. His staff was equally fantastic. His chairside manner was professional, dignified, and he exuded skill and confidence in what he did.

[00:01:57] I told my wife after the appointment that he made me feel like a professional patient, like I was the one who was good at doing this. As he finished the procedure, he wrote me a prescription for painkillers and said, “Don’t wait until you think you need this. Go ahead and have this filled right away. If you don’t need it, that’s great.

[00:02:19] But if you do need it, you won’t have to wait. It’ll be right there and ready for you.” I followed his suggestion. Thankfully, I didn’t need the painkillers. That experience was by far the best root canal experience I’ve ever had and have had since. If you’ve had a root canal, you understand what a statement that is.

[00:02:43] But it doesn’t end there. Around dinnertime that evening, the doc called me at home to follow up and see how I was feeling. Not his staff, not some service, actually him. He called me personally. He asked how I was feeling. He asked if I got the prescription filled and if I needed it. He communicated his personal care and concern for my comfort.

[00:03:12] I’ve since moved from the area where he practiced and have had, unfortunately, more root canal procedures since then I can tell you this, I don’t remember the pain of the experience with the dentist associated with my story, but I do remember his name. I don’t remember the names of any of the dentists that subsequently did root canal procedures on me, and unfortunately, I do remember the pain of those experiences.

[00:03:43] Consider for just a moment, though, what would cause a man to choose to become an endodontist? It’s a profession entirely based on a very uncomfortable, unpleasant procedure. Money? Maybe, but also consider this. What would motivate my endodontist to become excellent at what he does? His phone voice didn’t communicate money.

[00:04:10] It communicated care and concern for my dignity and comfort. Maybe his motivations at the start of his career were financial. I have no way of knowing that. Whatever his motivations, the important thing is that he was excellent at what he did. He humbly executed his craft skillfully and thoughtfully. For example, what if my root canal doc did the same exact excellent work on me but had never said a word to me, just working in silence?

[00:04:44] My opinion of his work would be different. It wouldn’t be as positive as it is. It was his technical mastery combined with his care and concern that made him stand out. He was a specialist in the truest sense of the word. There are a lot of cliches and ideas about specialization, a lot of cliches, such as find your niche, niche down, the riches are in the niches, be a big fish in a small pond, jack of all trades, master of none, do one thing and do it well, stay in your lane.

[00:05:22] Good grief, I’m just getting started. Know your superpower. Find the one thing you’re best at. You can’t be everything to everybody. If you try to serve everyone, you serve no one. Generalists compete on price. Specialists compete on expertise. People pay more for a specialist. Own a category. The narrower your niche, the easier your marketing.

[00:05:42] And I’m sure there are many more. You can tell by the sheer number of aphorisms I just mentioned that there are a lot of viewpoints on both sides about the topic of specialization, and probably some pretty strong opinions to go along with those views. Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not at all saying that those are bad views.

[00:06:06] But I do want to put the spotlight on something that’s missing from many of those sayings Specialization isn’t merely about narrowing your market. It’s about deepening your mastery and doing so for the people you serve. When we start using terms such as specialization, niche, market, and so on, we can easily forget what, or rather who, we are talking about.

[00:06:37] We’re talking about people, humans The endodontist in my story wasn’t just skillfully excellent at what he did. He absolutely was, but he was equally skillful at remembering me, a person, which is why I said he made me feel like a professional patient. He was doing the work. I was just sitting there. When we’re talking about specialization, we’re ultimately talking about three things: stewardship, mastery, and service.

[00:07:14] But you may be thinking to yourself, “Why would I wanna specialize?” Or maybe, “Should I specialize?” In fact, you may be a competent generalist, and if that’s the case, please keep listening because you’ll certainly he- hear things that apply to you as well. So why specialize? The answer can’t merely be because specialists make more money.

[00:07:37] That’s not always going to be true, and it’s also somewhat shallow. The real answer is because you and I are finite. Friend, you and I are limited by time, attention, energy, resources, and opportunities. It’s impossible to develop mastery in everything. Maybe you enjoy being a generalist or you’re a polymath, a Renaissance man, and there’s great benefit in that.

[00:08:09] For example, let’s look at some real world secular examples. Steve Martin. He started his career learning magic tricks, juggling, and creating balloon animals. During his college years, he got involved in comedy but was also interested in philosophy. Then he got into theater. He became a comedy writer as a career, which helped launch his long standup comedy career.

[00:08:36] Then he got into acting full-time, then screenplay writing, film production. Then in 2009, he released his first music album featuring banjo playing. His album won him a Grammy Award for the best bluegrass album in 2010. But while he may be seen on video making balloon animals during a standup routine or playing banjo while acting, as his career has progressed, he spent time mastering that one thing while maintaining the other skills in the background.

[00:09:09] He, like we, have to focus on one thing until we master it Bruce Dickinson. He’s widely known as the singer of Iron Maiden. Whoa. Am I going to use a heavy metal singer as an example? Yes, I am, to prove a point. Did you know he’s also an airplane pilot? I don’t mean flying a Cessna 150. Dickinson is a rated jet airliner pilot, including the Boeing 737 and 747 jumbo jet He has flown for British World Airlines and Astraeus Airlines and also been their marketing director.

[00:09:52] When Astraeus closed in 2011, he started an aircraft maintenance and pilot training company in 2012. Oh, he’s also competed internationally in fencing, placing seventh in Great Britain. He’s also an author, broadcaster, and entrepreneur. Sounds very complex and interesting, doesn’t he? But I don’t think if he’s your pilot, you would want him practicing fencing moves or belting out one of his songs during a crosswind landing.

[00:10:24] In both of those examples, these men have exhibited a mastery in multiple disciplines, but disciplines require, well, discipline. A focused, controlled practice of the skill until it’s brought under one’s own authority, mastery. Anyone can swoosh a fencing foil around in the air and pretend to swashbuckle, but it takes months and years of focused, controlled practice until the foil is brought under one’s own governance, and the fencer can use their whole body to land the final blow with finesse within a single square inch.

[00:11:07] You can’t do that while playing the banjo. So why specialize? Because you and I are finite. What is specialization? Faithfully concentrating what God has entrusted to you so you can become exceptionally useful in serving others. Becoming a great airline pilot is a benefit to the passengers. Becoming a great comedian is a benefit to someone who needs a good laugh.

[00:11:39] Fencing may not have a direct service application, but the lessons learned from such experiences can. When we’re talking about specialization, we’re ultimately talking about three things. First, specialization is stewardship. I cannot do everything, so I must wisely choose what to develop. Specialization is mastery.

[00:12:05] Concentration allows me to develop proficiency instead of remaining mediocre at everything. And specialization is service. Greater proficiency makes me more useful to the people God has given me to serve I would contend that both Martin and Dickinson are generalists, so I’m absolutely not denigrating being one.

[00:12:31] But in order to become better generalists, they had to choose what to develop, focus on developing that skill until mastery is achieved, and decide how to serve others with it. In business, a generalist should funnel their breadth towards specialization as well. Steve Jobs learned calligraphy and graphic design, which became useful in designing human-centric user interfaces.

[00:13:01] He wasn’t necessarily a programmer, but he learned enough to have meaningful conversations with his programmers. He studied philosophy. He observed what it takes to create products that are considered good quality or bad. And he filtered all of those general concepts into being a focused leader at Apple.

[00:13:23] Again, we may not agree with his personal ethics, but we can’t deny how Apple has changed the world. To be clear, I’m not saying everyone should do fewer things. I’m saying no one can become excellent at everything, especially all at once. Allow me to put it to you another way. What if Bruce Dickinson was the best pilot alive, but he was also the only person alive?

[00:13:54] A single person alone on the planet? What if Steve Martin was the best comedian in the world, but there was no one else in the world to hear the punchline? What if my endodontist was the premier best at his craft on Earth, but no one else exists? Yeah, there it is. We become good at what we do so that others benefit from what we do.

[00:14:22] That’s specialization. Okay, let’s mentally pause for a moment Think about the marketing or motivational sayings that you thought should have a great influence on you. They sounded good, but something was missing. What’s your niche? What’s your superpower? What’s your personal brand? Those never really connected, did they?

[00:14:51] Why? Because they only focus on your ability, not on how those abilities can serve others. A more biblical question for those of us who are Bible-believing entrepreneurs is, of everything God has entrusted to you, skills, abilities, equipment, resources, what deserves your deepest focused development and for whom?

[00:15:18] I’m sure my general dentist could have done a good root canal procedure. I’m not disputing that. But he’s finite as well. My general dentist recognized a problem that another practitioner had devoted substantially more attention, training, repetition, equipment, and experience to solving. That’s not failure.

[00:15:42] That’s recognition. That’s wisdom. Specialization is stewardship, prayerfully choosing where to spend your finiteness. God has given us much, but he did not give each of us everything, meaning skill, talent, and resource. But he did give us himself, and he gave us others, others who also have unique abilities.

[00:16:13] It’s wise to recognize that. What does the Bible say about this? Well, Proverbs twenty-two verse twenty-nine says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings. He shall not stand before mean men.” Before we talk about this verse in the context of specialization, let me just mention about that word mean.

[00:16:38] It doesn’t mean mean the way we frequently mean mean. And what I mean is that this word mean doesn’t mean mean as in angry. It’s an older English mean that can mean lowly, common, or inferior. Sort of, but not really in the same sense that mean means average as used in mathematics. In other words, the last phrase of this verse could be translated, “He shall not stand before common or inferior men.”

[00:17:12] Know what I mean? Okay, now that that’s over with, let’s focus on the word diligent in this verse. At first blush, we may read diligent in this context and think that it means someone who is hardworking. However, the word that is translated as diligent, machir, means skillful in this context. Let’s have a little word fun with a few other Old Testament verses, and I wanna see if you can pick out the Hebrew word machir as it’s been translated into English.

[00:17:49] Are you ready? Ezra 7:6. “This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given.” What word in this verse has been translated from the word machir? If you guessed the word ready, you are correct. Next verse, Psalm 45:1. “My heart is inditing a good matter.

[00:18:18] I speak of the things which I have made touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Yes, you’re right. It’s the word ready again. In both of these verses, the word doesn’t mean Ezra or the psalmist were at a proverbial starting line or standing there with their coffee mug in their hand. In Ezra’s case, it meant that he had a skill or proficiency as a scribe of the Torah.

[00:18:46] The context of the passage provides that he had an expertise in the Mosaic Law. The psalmist was saying that he would masterfully speak as a skilled scribe would write. Now, right here I wanna stop and point out that I am not saying that these verses alone build a case for specialization. Think of them as more of some of the tools used in the specialist’s toolbox.

[00:19:14] They do, however, make the case that specialization is stewardship. I cannot do everything, so I must wisely choose what to develop. Both Ezra and the psalmist had a focus. They stewarded their time and their words wisely. Talent is given, but mastery is developed. We have to decide what to do with what God has provided in his time.

[00:19:43] That’s stewardship Specialization is mastery. The book of Exodus tells us about two men, I’m gonna mess their names up, I just know it, Bezaleel and Aholiab in Exodus 31:1-6, which says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

[00:20:11] And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

[00:20:38] And in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee.” Exodus 35:30-35 echo this passage. Bezaleel and Aholiab were builders who were skilled in metallurgy, gold, silver, and brass, but also stone cutting and carpentry. But not just builders, master builders.

[00:21:06] They devised cunning works. That word cunning means that they were thoughtful, purposeful. They didn’t merely make things that worked and then clocked out at the end of the day. They made things thoughtfully with purpose. God gave them ability, then they developed and exercised their abilities. Those skills had a specific purpose, and the purpose fulfilled a service beyond themselves.

[00:21:34] David’s mighty men in 1 Chronicles 12, different warriors possessed identifiable specialties. Some men could use both hands with bows and slings. Others were skilled with shield and buckler. Even the sons of Issachar had their distinctive ability of understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do.

[00:21:55] While not a direct battlefield asset, it was a helpful skill for the kingdom. They all shared the same cause, but had different developed capabilities The temple musicians in 1 Chronicles 25:6-7. The musicians were instructed in the songs of the Lord, even all that were cunning, skillful. They weren’t simply people who liked music.

[00:22:23] They were trained musicians assigned to musical service. Hiram in 1 Kings 7:13-14. Solomon brings in Hiram specifically because he’s filled with wisdom and understanding and cunning to work all works in brass. King Solomon hired the brass specialist. Solomon needed particular work done, so he sought someone possessing a particular expertise.

[00:22:51] And what about you and me in the here and now? A New Testament principle we find in Romans 12:4-8 encourages us that the members of the church don’t all have the same office or function, and the differing gifts are used according to what has been given. Are you good at teaching? Teach. Good at ministry?

[00:23:12] Minister. Good at giving? Give. The passage is primarily about spiritual gifts and service within the body of Christ, not vocational specialization, but it certainly illustrates a broader biblical principle. God does not equip every person identically. Oh, friend, there are a lot more passages that talk about this mastery principle, about doing things with excellence, purpose, wisdom, and so forth.

[00:23:44] One of my favorite quotes is from Coach Vince Lombardi, who sums it up well. “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” Yes, absolutely. Pursue Christ. He’s perfect. We’ll never be perfect. But pursuing Jesus will produce excellence. We don’t pursue Christ merely to become excellent at our craft vocationally.

[00:24:13] We pursue Christ because He’s worthy. But because we belong to Him, excellence in our work becomes one way we can faithfully steward what He’s given us and glorify Him Specialization is service. The big piece that’s missing in much of the motivational conversations about specialization is service. If stewardship asks, “What has God entrusted to me?”

[00:24:44] And mastery asks, “What does God want me to focus on?” Then service asks, “Who becomes better served if I get exceptionally good at it?” Bezalel and Aholiab had a calling from God, yes. But that calling included purpose, building something for God’s glory, but also for God’s people. They built something that would help facilitate worship and a closer walk with God.

[00:25:14] Whether or not my endodontist was a Christian or whatever his original motivations were to go into that field, he was a wise steward of his abilities. He invested in the extra time to move from general dentistry to endodontics. Was he born with a dental drill in his hand? I don’t know. But I do know that he chose to discipline himself to learn and learn well.

[00:25:41] He focused on achieving a mastery of his physical abilities. My endodontist made it a hat trick. He was exceptionally good at service. He made me feel like a professional patient. He clearly communicated care. When you’re done serving your client or customer, it won’t be that you did an excellent job that they’ll remember.

[00:26:04] That sounds counterintuitive. They might not even understand what you did for them, depending on the technical level of your vocation. It will be your service, how you treated them, how you communicated with them Specialization is prayerfully choosing where to spend your finiteness. And where does that leave you?

[00:26:29] If finding clarity in what you do is a struggle, grab your journal, pray, then write down these three questions. First, stewardship. What has God entrusted to me? Don’t overthink that. Oftentimes, the answer is already right in front of us. Second, mastery. What deserves deeper development? I know that can be a toughie if we are good at a number of things.

[00:26:59] Pray and ask for the Lord’s guidance, and only write down one thing. Just one. Those other things aren’t going anywhere. You’re just giving yourself permission to focus and develop one thing for now. And service. Who becomes better served if I get exceptionally good at it? The funny thing is, you might find it easier to answer these questions in reverse by starting with the person you want to serve.

[00:27:28] But as they say, your mileage may vary. Now, choose one thing and develop it. Not choose your career, or reinvent your business, or announce your new niche on LinkedIn. Just one thing you can develop. One thing is actionable. Two is a distraction. Three or more will just send you backwards. Just one thing, because someone out there needs that one thing, and you have it.

[00:28:02] Thank you, my friend, for taking time to listen today, and I pray it’s been a blessing to you. If so, please like and subscribe, and then go grab my completely free gift, The Seven Day Biblical Entrepreneur Devotional. It’s seven short daily readings sent to your inbox that will realign your heart, head, and business with God’s heart in one week.

[00:28:25] The link is in the show notes below, or visit betterbiblebusiness.com/7days today. And remember, be smart, be good, be humble, be active, and we’ll see you in the next episode.

[00:28:45] Outro: Thank you for listening to the Better Bible Business Podcast with your awesome host, Paul Erickson. Awesome? Really, Dad? Anyway, you can subscribe to this podcast and social media channels at betterbiblebusiness.com. So smash that like button, hit subscribe, ring the bell, and follow on social media. All right, Dad.

[00:29:06] Five bucks is five bucks.