Jack of All Trades, Master of ?

Of course, the traditional phrase ends 'master of none.' But, being a literalist and an eager, often learner, this perplexes me.

Is it possible to be a master of some trades?

I'm one of those people who, when I set my mind to something, accomplishes what I set out to do. It may nto be an easy, a pretty, or even a timely process, but I achieve my goal. I like conquering challenges-- forget Mt. Everest, but homegrown challenges are fun.

It may have taken three damn times, but I earned my Microsoft Word 2003 Expert Level Certification. (Which is different, and presumably much harder than the Core Certification.) And I went into that test thinking, ah, it'll be a breeze-- I've been using Word real well for a long time. Talk about some serious Microsoft-style Smack-down. But I studied and learned and passed it quite well by the third time.

I have always done quite well in all my school classes-- I prefer A's because they are areodymanic. Doesn't matter the subject. The only issue I've ever run into has been time constraints-- when I was an undergrad, I was working a full time job and taking four classes (12+ credits). I still don't have much of a social life...

When my dining room chairs broke, yeah, I tried getting Dad to fix them. But I guess I grew out of being Daddy's little girl, because them chairs certainly didn't ever move to the front of the line of projects. So, I learned how to fix them myself. With a little help from Dad, and his drill. I need more powertools...

Another example-- writing. I used to write novels to pass the time in high school. I used to swear, insist, and maintain that I could never write short stories. Then, I gave it a shot. Some fifty short stories later, I think I'm comfortable saying that I can write short stories.

Now I've gone back to writing my novels. (I'm certainly a far better writer now than I was before!) My betas have loved the novel so far, which is encouraging. Now, if I can get into the hands of the right agents, who then get it into the hands of the right publishers, I'll find out if I have mastered this trade-- or if I need to learn and work some more at it.

I may not master all trades possible, just the ones I set out to succeed at.

Is the phrase wrong? A simple, overgeneralization that applies to most? Or are we really all just a master of some trades?

What sorts of things have you set out to master?