Too Many Passions

In this TEdxBend talk, Emilie Wapnik speaks about being a Mulitpotentialite, and how this beneficial in today's society. A Multipotenitalite is someone who has many creative pursuits and passions/interests, which may vary as one becomes skilled in one pursuit, and then moves on to another, and then another, and another...I am sure you get the picture.

Wapnik says, "I began noticing this pattern in myself, where I would dive in and become invested in an area, and become all consumed, and I would get pretty good at whatever it was, and then I would hit this point where I would start to get bored."

Wapnik explains that she would try to persist with this interest, but we all know that boredom has away of killing passion, and so Wapnik would soon find another interest, which she would learn about, and then become uncommitted to this interest because it no longer challenged her. The pattern would repeat again and again.

Does this sound like you? I know that I am a Multipotentialite. I have always been a Multipotentialite. Wapnik believes that some of us are wired this way. In my opinion, it is possible that most of us are wired this way.

Being a Mulipotentialite has its challenges in a culture that "romanticizes the notion of the narrowly focused life. It is the idea of destiny or the one true calling. The idea that we have one great thing to do during our time on earth. And you need to figure out what that thing is and devote your life to it."

There is no doubt that some will excel and specialize in only one area much in the way that surgeons do. I would venture to guess that surgeons have other interests, other passions. Perhaps we all exist somewhere on the spectrum from single passion focused to multi passion focused.

If you are still not convinced that it is okay to be a Mulitpotentialite, Wapnik points out that we have three "super powers." We are able to synthesize our ideas from different subjects to create something new. Secondly, we are rapid learners, who tend to dive into and immerse ourselves in new areas of learning. We are used to being beginners, because we are often beginners, who are not afraid to try new things. Thirdly, we are adaptable, and can easily morph into being one thing to another.

"Fast Company Magazine," reports Wapnik, "identified adaptability as the most important skill to develop in order to thrive in the 21st century.' This is because these are times of great change.

Wapnik concluces with telling listeners to "embrace your inner wiring whatever that may be."