The Variety Layer - Jack of All Trades, Master of Your Life
When All Your Versions Are Valid
Red onions, white onions, yellow onions, sweet onions. All onions. All valid. Different flavors, different uses, same essential thing.
I started The Rebel Onion thinking I was peeling toward a core. The "real me" before life told me who to be. Before indoctrination, expectations, survival mode kicked in.
Thirty-six weeks in, I'm realizing something Alan Watts said: "The core of reality is not a fixed object to be found, but a dynamic process or a dance. When we try to dissect life to find its ultimate truth, we are engaging in a cycle of uncovering, only to find there is always more to unfold."
What if there's no fixed core waiting at the center? What if all the versions I've been ARE the core?
The Jack of All Trades Problem
"Jack of all trades, master of none."
I heard that my whole life. Felt it in my bones. Designer. Musician. Tech guy. Entrepreneur. Writer. Father. Too scattered. Pick a lane. Focus on ONE thing.
But here's what they don't tell you: That's not the full quote.
Shakespeare actually said: "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one."
Oftentimes better.
Not worse. Not less than. Better.
In an ever-changing world, integrating skills across multiple areas isn't a weakness. It's the new competitive advantage.
So why do I keep judging my variations as evidence I can't finish anything?
Family Business Martin
The warehouse. Friday nights til midnight while the rest of Miami went out. My father's freight company. Air cargo to Paraguay. Every container, every shipment, every customs form.
It felt like being stuck. Like watching the world move while I was trapped in a cycle I didn't choose.
But that warehouse funded the life I was living. The hedonistic Miami nights. The indulgent lifestyle. My father's grit built that. And I learned what it means to show up, to carry weight, to keep a business running even when you'd rather be anywhere else.
That wasn't weakness. That was the nest I had to break free from. And I did. In 2013.
Musician Martin
Two albums. One in Spanish (2004), one in English (2011). Big in Panama for 15 minutes. Newspaper clippings. Festival performances. People singing along.
Then... nothing.
I went into music for all the wrong reasons. Ego. Looks. Sad song lyrics that made me seem deep. If I'd made it, I probably would've gone down a dark path. Been taken advantage of. Lost myself in the industry machine.
But I love songwriting. I love the craft of turning emotion into melody. And here's what I got from those two albums that had nothing to do with success:
My father knows every lyric to my songs.
One night I was performing for his friends. I got nervous and messed up the words. He corrected me. Sang it out loud. And I remembered.
That moment alone? Worth it.
And every once in a while, someone says "Hey, I remember 'Mujer.' That song was beautiful." And they sing a line back to me.
That's not a failed career. That's two albums that exist in the world. That's my father knowing my lyrics. That's enough.
Tech CDO Martin
Five and a half years. Chief Design Officer for DevDapp/RAIR Technologies. Raised $4M. Built a team. Weekly Zoom calls with advisors. Conferences. Strategy sessions. Deep dives into Web3, blockchain, digital wallets, NFTs, tokenization, digital ownership.
Then it dissolved. Market crashed. I had to call investors personally and tell them their money was gone.
I thought that was failure. Five and a half years for nothing.
But here's what I actually got:
I learned things most people still don't understand. I was early to technology that's coming into fruition right now. I worked with smart people. I miss that dynamic. I miss those Zoom calls. I miss building something with a team that believed in it.
And I learned what it means to stand in integrity when things fall apart. To make the hard calls. To own the outcome without running.
That wasn't wasted time. That was education I couldn't have gotten any other way.
Designer Martin
Seventeen years. Nitram Design. Through family business years, solo years, startup years, back to solo again.
Even when I wasn't trying, clients showed up. Even when I doubted everything, design kept providing. A watch client appeared when I needed to leave the family business. Projects came through even while I was grinding in the tech company.
Design isn't just what I do. It's the thread that runs through every variation.
And I'm good at it. People see that.
Rebel Onion Martin
Thirty-six weeks. Every Thursday. No missed weeks. Unfiltered transformation work. AI videos. Custom covers. Deep dives into psychology, onion layers, patterns, healing. Damn you, Shrek, talking to Donkey about his layers!
Low engagement. Small audience. But consistent. Real. Mine.
This is the newest variation. The one that's teaching me to stay in the game without needing external validation to know it matters.
The Realization
These aren't separate lives. They're not failed attempts or evidence that I can't stick with anything.
They're different expressions of the same essence: someone who creates, transforms, learns, and refuses to fit in one box.
I'm not a mason. Masons perfect one trade and pass it to their apprentice. That's beautiful. That's stable. That's mastery in one lane.
But I'm an integrator.
Business + philosophy + design + music + psychology + tech + storytelling.
In a world that's constantly changing, that's not scattered. That's adaptable. That's the ability to see connections others miss. That's valuable.
The Mason vs. The Renaissance Mind
I used to think I needed to pick ONE thing and master it. Build a legacy in a single lane. Be known for ONE skill.
But that's not how I'm built.
I engage my curiosity about everything. I learn a little bit about business, a little about philosophy, a little about coding, a little about economics, psychology, design, music.
And you know what? That puts me in a position of immediate value in almost any group.
I can talk to designers about brand strategy. I can talk to coaches about transformation psychology. I can talk to tech founders about Web3. I can talk to musicians about songwriting. I can talk to entrepreneurs about building businesses.
I'm not the deepest expert in any ONE field. Well, design—definitely design. But beyond that one mastery, I can integrate across all of them. And in 2026, that's the skill that matters most.
What If the Variety IS the Core?
I thought I was peeling toward a fixed center. The "real Martin" buried under layers of conditioning.
But what if the core isn't a fixed thing? What if it's the dance itself?
What if all the variations—family business, musician, tech CDO, designer, Rebel Onion creator, father—are equally valid expressions of the same person?
Not chapters I need to "get over." Not mistakes I need to justify. Just... variations. All true. All necessary. All part of the same onion.
Red, white, yellow, sweet, hot. All onions. All valid.
Week 36. Still peeling. Still discovering. Still becoming.
And maybe that's the point. Not to arrive. But to keep unfolding.
Let go. Let God. Let it be a dance, not a destination.
Different types. Same essence.
That's enough.
What variations of yourself are you rejecting as "not the real you"? What if they're all valid? What if the variety IS your mastery?
The "Being Coached" Layer: Evolution Through Trust, Not by Design
The Renaissance Man Became Unflappable, Not Multi-Talented
The Renaissance man didn't set out to master everything at once—he started by mastering one thing, then the next, and what he truly became was unflappable. When inevitable change arrives, it no longer triggers panic or self-judgment; it's simply the next piece of the puzzle revealing itself. After 46 years on this journey, I can't point to a single chapter, book, or venture where specific insights originated, but here's what I know with certainty: absolutely nothing happens by mistake, and nothing is wasted in God's economy.
The object is to go with the flow and trust the process. You don't decide to "be a Renaissance man"—you can't help but become one once you break the stranglehold of the single-identity trap. Evolution becomes inevitable because change or die is the rule of the road. When you stop resisting the natural unfolding and learn to trust what emerges, you discover that becoming multi-faceted isn't a choice you make—it's what happens when you finally stop fighting who you're becoming.
Bookshelf Peeled - The Shape-Shifter Who Held All Truth
In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell argues that while there is one "Monomyth," the hero must wear many masks to complete the journey. A fitting myth for Week 36 is the story of Proteus, the ancient shape-shifter of the sea. Proteus knew all things—past, present, and future—but to get answers from him, you had to hold onto him while he changed shapes: from lion to snake, to leopard, to a burst of fire, and finally back to water. The lesson wasn't in forcing Proteus to stay still; it was in learning not to let go during the transformation.
This mirrors the multi-hyphenate journey perfectly. The designer becomes the musician becomes the tech founder becomes the brand strategist—each transformation feels like a complete upheaval, a different creature entirely. But Campbell's insight, channeled through Proteus, is that the truth you're after isn't found by stopping the changes or choosing just one form. The wisdom comes from holding on through every version, trusting that each shape is necessary, and that the real you—like Proteus returning to water—is fluid by nature. The world doesn't need you to be one thing. It needs you to be unflappable enough to shift into whatever the moment requires while never letting go of yourself in the process.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
by Joseph Campbell
Design Rebel: The Rhythm of the Unfolding
Why not a tango? This week is all about finding the Argentine inspiration to dance through life as it unfolds. The visuals and sound for this journey were brought to life using Leonardo.ai, Veo 3.1, and ElevenLabs, with final production and editing handled in Wondershare Filmora.
Weekly Inspired Insights I liked or found useful this week:
This week’s insight hit a nerve: Can your body handle being unseen longer than you expected? Your brain often detects silence as danger, triggering a survival response that can break your nervous system. Watch at your own risk.
P.S. If this resonates with you, share it with someone. I'm dedicated to helping fellow explorers—or anyone who found this page—uncover their authentic self with humor and insight. We're all in this together, finding the courage to truly live from our core essence (or as close as we can get!).
The Variety Layer: Different Types, Same Essence
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