All too often people get wrapped up in their own abilities and neglect the things they cannot do, sometimes believing they do not have the understanding or knowledge of how to get the job done. Fear may set in and falsely convince a person that they are 'in over their head'. When this happens, a tremendous opportunity for learning and growth is lost, and a person's confidence wanes.
In reality, of course there are times when a person may not have the resources, time, or capacity to do a job, but one must honest with himself and intelligently know when to say "no". For example, a doctor probably would not tell his/her patient that they have the ability to prescribe medicine only, but also can fix a plumbing problem at someone's home. (unless that doctor has just recently fixed an identical leak at his /her own house.) Or, a tax attorney may not confidently suggest he/she can be their mechanic, IT professional, and hair stylist all at the same time. Although people may wear different hats, there is something to be said about being a specialist in a particular area.
The identifier "jack of all trades" usually implies that a person is really a "king of none". However, it is important to know a little about a lot of things. If you have a basic understanding it leaves you with the security of not being mislead, deceived, or ripped off by a contractor whom you hire for a specific job. It pays to question everything once and maybe research a little before trusting the first answer received; a second opinion can be precious.
For entrepreneurs, the same holds true. There must be specialties that you can be a master at, for then you will be successful, however, sometimes just saying yes to a request can open the door to numerous possibilities. Alexander Graham Bell said "When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." A contractor should not think a job is too big, he should just quote the price properly. A consultant should not tell a client that a task is impossible, he/she should just outsource the correct help to accomplish it. Even Bill Gates dropped out of college to start Microsoft, when everyone else thought he was crazy to do that; he didn't say no to an opportunity right in front of him!
Another wise man once said that there are three things to know in order to be successful, "know what you know, know someone who knows what you don't know, and that is all you need to know!"
It is very important to welcome opportunity when it knocks, and never let fear shy you away from something you may need to learn in order to grow!
