I never thought I would be compared to the delicate beauty of a hummingbird, but today it happened.

I was told that some people are jackhammer’s. They have a single goal in their work-lives and they dedicate their career to the path towards that goal, digging deep in the way that a jackhammer would.

Others are hummingbirds, flitting from one thing one day to a new passion the next, learning about a variety of things but not devoting a lifetime to one passion.

Both are vital. Jackhammers have the opportunity to move their fields forward because of their deep work in one area, but hummingbirds can pick up concepts from different fields and pollinate other areas with their big-picture ideas.

Where do you fit?

I was compared to the hummingbird, but I think we modified that to something in the middle, as I suspect many others are as well. Maybe I’m more of an earthworm, doing important work in a region broader than a jackhammer, without the full travel distance as a hummingbird.

*The principle of the jackhammer vs. hummingbird comes from Elizabeth Gilbert. See this clip for more!