I read an article the other day titled ‘Multipotentiality’. It really caught my interest and if you also like to specialise in lots of things it might also catch your eye.
We are constantly being told that if we jump from one thing to the next in life that we have failed or that we must be inadequately challenged! If we don’t yet know what we want to do professionally (whether you are a student leaving education or an adult trying out different things) does this mean that we should go into full scale panic? I don’t think so and that is why I was so happy to read the article about multipotentiality.
Emile Wapnick explains what being a multipotentialite means:
A multipotentialite is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life.
Multipotentialites have no “one true calling” the way specialists do. Being a multipotentialite is our destiny. We have many paths and we pursue all of them, either sequentially or simultaneously (or both).
Multipotentialites thrive on learning, exploring, and mastering new skills. We are excellent at bringing disparate ideas together in creative ways. This makes us incredible innovators and problem solvers.
When it comes to new interests that emerge, our insatiable curiosity leads us to absorb everything we can get our hands on. As a result, we pick up new skills fast and tend to be a wealth of information.
Can you associate yourself as a multipotentialite? There are a group of people who do too…. Emilie has setup a website for multipotentials called ‘Puttylike’. Go take a look:
http://puttylike.com/start-here/
When I think about this in my own context it totally resonates with me. I’ve moved from one professional role to another and in all things I’ve done I’ve loved a lot of it and have always put in 100% effort. However, I have always felt that I needed to say ‘It wasn’t for me, I have another calling’ or use another excuse. When having these conversations with other people I used to think that they would be thinking I had failed so naturally I used to also think I had failed. I now know differently – this came with age for me.
I like to think now that rather than failed opportunities I’ve actually travelled down every single road I wanted to travel down. I’ve learned lots of things along the way and whilst many may say I cannot excel in a field that way, I would beg to differ. One of my philosophies in life is to learn something new each day, and I do just that. I have done for many years; not matter how big or small that ‘thing’ is.
What can this mean to you? Well, take a look at Emile’s website to see if this term resonates with you too. If it does, next time you pickup another speciality/pursuit/interest (whether this be personal or professional) know what you are doing, accept that it is your choice and be proud of yourself. When people question you, tell them confidently that:
I’m innovative, I like to explore and learn
I’m a multipotentiolite and proud of it
I’m giving my all with everything I do, not matter what I chose to do
I always do what I love – even if that changes weekly/monthly/yearly – so I always do it with passion
I’m curious about everything, are you
The list is endless. For all of you who struggle with having a passion for many things I salute you. Be proud that you have interest in many things and above all be confident. Changing your path is not failure; it is a leap of faith. Go forth and do what you love to do, be happy and be proud.
With Love xxxx