“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
The age-old question is engrained in all of us early and often. It shapes so much of who we are. Our personality, our ambitions, our motivation, our confidence. The list goes on and on. What happens when you don’t know what you want to be? Does that make you a failure? Perhaps, you are broken. If you aren’t dedicated to a specialized career, you cannot possibly have a purpose.
If any of those statements resonated with you, don’t worry, you are not alone. The conventional path has permeated our culture to such a degree that those who struggle with specialization can often feel outcasted and useless. I am here to tell you that you are not an outcast. You are not broken or useless. You do not lack purpose nor are you a failure.
I first heard about Emilie Wapnick and her concept of “multipotentialites” in late 2020 while on the road in San Antonio, Texas. I was bouncing between my Uber and DoorDash apps hoping to make the most of the few hours I had set aside to deliver food and groceries. For me, it seemed like fate. The time couldn’t have been more perfect for me to hear Emilie’s refreshing outlook on an affliction (at least that’s how I saw it) that was plaguing my life.
An inability to focus and stay interested on things.
Let me take a quick step back…
Before the end of 2019, I had spent the last 7 years of my life dedicated to a single profession, a profession I truly believed in and confidently declared was my purpose in life. Well, as with all things in life, it was fleeting and impermanent. My path took a complete 180 and I found myself back to square one. I was pitted against the horrible, gut-wrenching question…”What do I want to be?”
In hindsight, it is pretty clear that my dedication to a single profession was more a way of shirking the anxiety associated with making those types of decisions than a true passion. I settled on something I was good at so I didn’t have to face the specters of my past.
When I stopped pursuing a baseball career, I couldn’t choose which subject I enjoyed most to guide my college choices. When I sat down for my first engineering class at Brown University, I learned in the first hour that engineering bored me.
When I realized I wouldn’t be an engineering major, I took full advantage of Brown’s “architect of your own degree” concept and took a class in every subject I could think of, totally avoiding any decisive action or unidirectional movement. When I got passed over for a post-college associate curator position at the San Antonio Museum of Art in 2010, I dabbled in sales, advertising, marketing, and consumer services from Los Angeles to New York City.
Then, the “real world” reared its ugly head.
My grandparents passed away, my father had multiple heart attacks, and I had a near-death experience when I rolled my truck. It seemed like I was purposelessly flailing and not living up to my potential. Looking back now, I see this feeling was a result of me not focusing on a career. That thing I was “meant” to do. My one, sole contribution to humanity.
Fast forward to 2020 and throw in a Yogi Berra quote.
“It’s deja vu all over again.”
There I was driving 35 minutes from my home in Devine twice weekly to make some extra cash. All the time in the car made for the perfect opportunity to be alone with my thoughts. But those thoughts started to become toxic as I found myself questioning my purpose and contribution again. I only drove in twice a week because I was also self-editing my first fiction novel, building a travel agency, starting a blog, helping my Dad run our music instrument repair business, homeschooling our daughter, and caring for our newborn son.
Sound like a lot? It certainly overwhelmed me a time or two. The worst part, was that while I was pursuing a myriad of interests I never thought I would, I had this paralyzing belief that I wasn’t doing enough and something was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I pick a single thing to focus on? How will I make money to support my family if I cannot pick a career? Why am I broken?
Well, according to Emilie, nothing is wrong with me. And while her 2015 TEDxBend talk directs us away from notions of a destined fate or one true calling, there is something rather delightful about the timing of things. After stumbling on Jason Moore’s Zero to Travel podcast (while trying to occupy my thoughts on the road), I started seeing the world in a different light. There actually seemed to be occupational possibilities that fit my wide array of interests. But while it was great to hear about all these fantastic people doing amazing things, I was stuck with the “that’s them, not me” notion.
My cognitive dissonance met its match after I heard Jason’s “How To Be Everything” episode where he interviewed Emilie. I even missed a delivery because I was so entranced.
Suddenly, I was not broken and I was not alone. I wasn’t even that different from many other people. Emilie, the Founder and Creative Director of Puttylike, helps multipotentialites integrate all of their interests to create fulfilling lives.
Ok ok…I have gone on and on about this strange term and why it applies to me but I haven’t actually defined it.
Puttylike (adj.): Able to embody different identities and perform a variety of tasks gracefully. -How To Be Everything
So, what is a multipotentialite?
There are many terms that connote the same idea—Renaissance Person, Polymath, Generalist, Scanner (coined by Barbara Sher). What they all share is that they describe a person who totes a big bag of interests and is typically well versed in many areas. You know, the stereotypical jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none. Emilie defines a multipotentialite as “someone with many interests and creative pursuits.”
What is wrong with that?
We live in a society that needs creativity. No longer do we live in an age of industrial revolution, where each of us must assume our spot on the assembly line. While specialization has its place, we must get away from the tendency of forcing square pegs into round holes. The fear of change limits our innovative capacity, thus understanding that you, as a multipotentialite, do not need to narrow your choices opens up a world of opportunities.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.” -Steve Jobs
I think I quoted Bertrand Russell in my last post, “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time,” but those fine words are greatly applicable here, as well. I cannot tell you how many times I sat on my couch and dejectedly told my wife, Amanda, that I felt like I wasted my day doing X, Y, or Z.
Mind you, these preoccupations were not playing video games or binging on TV. No, they may have been falling down a rabbit hole of historical research about a specific scene in my novel, or reading blog after blog about humanitarian aid in Central Asia, or putzing around on WordPress because I don’t really know what I’m doing.
The problem isn’t my use of time, its my acceptance of cultural and societal norms that tell me how I should be using my time. For one, I enjoyed what I spent my time doing. And, secondly, the knowledge I gained may one day be applicable to a flurry of different opportunities.
Case and point, after participating in Location Indie’s Side Hustle Success Challenge, I figured out that my ultimate goal is to start a nonprofit focused on bridging cultural gaps through travel and education. Well, all that reading not only inspired me to dedicate myself to a life of service, it also gave me the basic understanding of what various cultures need and how they accept or don’t accept foreign assistance.
Another one of my goals is to be a successful novelist. Little did I know that my experience with statecraft, politics, and international affairs which I acquired while in the Army and working on a Masters in International Relations would allow me to build a fascinating and believable world for my fictional stories.
Being a multipotentialite is not an affliction. It is not something to hide or be ashamed of. Instead, it is something to embrace and leverage toward an innovative and better tomorrow. Emilie says that multipotentialites have three superpowers:
Idea synthesis - “Innovation happens at the intersections. That’s where the new ideas come from. And multipotentialites, with all of their backgrounds, are able to access a lot of these points of intersection.”
Rapid Learning - “This means they [multipotentialites] are less afraid of trying new things and stepping out of their comfort zones.”
Adaptability - Multipotentialites possess a unique ability to morph into whatever they need to be in a given situation.
Which one of these is yours? Or, more likely, which ones are yours?
If you’re like me, you probably see that list and think, “Hey, I can relate to those.” If that is the case, then let me just say…Congratulations!
“That is, combining two or more fields and creating something new at the intersection.” -Emilie Wapnick
Welcome to the club! You are not alone and you are capable of achieving many things. Now, let’s figure out how we can work together to make the world a better place. The Center for Transformational Presence tackles some of these issues and offers a plethora of free material.
Final Thoughts
When the epiphany of who I am struck, as if in a dream, I heard my Dad’s words come back to me, “What should I be when I grow up?” It never occurred to me until that random day in 2020 that there was wisdom in the statement I had heard countless times throughout my life. I always thought it was just typical parental jeering and my Dad just being my Dad. It didn’t dawn on me that he was actually embracing his multipotentiality and was giving me a living example of how I could mould my passions into a happier and more authentic life.
Whether its destiny or chance, it appears that every action in my life has lead me here. In some way, I believe I am made to be an entrepreneur. My interests and creative pursuits are endless but I no longer harbor anxiety of purposelessness or worry that I am wired wrong. Its like I am remembering who I always was, rather than discovering something new.
And that feeling is delightful.
“Innovation happens at the point of intersections.” - Emilie Wapnick
I urge you to pursue whatever interests you may possess. I urge you to imagine, dream, and explore. Do not sell yourself short just because you may not fit into the conventional framework. Do not let the risk of failure hold you back. The old adage that we learn best through failure rings true time and again. You do not need to have one true calling to make a difference. If there is any true calling for me, it is that I can do anything. And I hope to inspire countless others to believe in themselves the same way.
Emilie says it best as she closes her TEDxBend talk with, “embrace your inner wiring, whatever that may be.”
Think Big, Act Small.
-Michael
~Change the world one nameless stranger at a time.~
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For some more reading on the topic, check out a Laura Maya’s take at The Magic of Everything. She speaks more at length about Barbara Sher’s work.
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