Multipotentialites

Officeninjas

Do you know what you want to be or to do when you grow up?!!! “Umm, yes, no, I want to do a lot of things, I want to do everything as long as it makes me happy!”

If you find yourself being uncertain of what you want to do in life, what career path you want to follow, what your life purposes are, or you just simply want to do a lot of things,  you are what is termed a “multipotentialite”, you do not fit into any normal way of life or even thinking! Do not despair, you are not ALONE, or even weird!

The use of term is not popular, but I have heard one other person from Jamaica use it, Tami Chin, who has identified herself as a multipotentialite,  I was actually elated that I heard the word being used here, so I didn’t feel so alone with my knowledge!

Visit: Puttylike

Human beings in general are multifaceted beings, whether you realize it or not, on any given day as a parent or individual in society, we take on several roles for the day: Carpenter, Plumber, Overseer, Financial Controller, Police Officer, Judge, Teacher, Mom/Dad, Sister/Brother, Wife/Husband, Housekeeper, Nurse, Financial Advisor, Grocery Purveyor, Psychologist…. you get the drift!

There are a number individuals within the world’s population who display this characteristic, they themselves, may be considered uncharacteristic to most people. There are also some famous individuals who are multipotentialites, they include Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Jeena Davis, Isaac Newton and a few others.

 So, you may be saying, where do I go from here? Having multiple disciplines is not a setback, especially at a time like this in history, we need to be shape shifters, or be more adaptable.

You may have found yourself or is finding yourself moving from one job to the next, and it’s not because you are a bad worker or you did something wrong, but simply, simply (not a typo) because you are bored with the present job, and you need to move on to something that will challenge you more, until you get bored again, it is important to note that multipotentialites almost always own their own businesses.  A multipotentialite rarely stays in a job for 6 or more years, on average they stay from 8 months to 5 years, I am also using myself as an example based on my experiences.

Watch:TEDxTalk

Individuals who are this way are given a hard time, they are asked why they can’t settle down in one job (just-over-broke), gain job security (when, how?!) and work for Government benefits, so they can have something to fall back on when they retire (huh!), a lot of us baulk at this idea. That aside!

The interesting thing about multipotentialites, is that, whatever job(s) they undertake, they are extremely good at it, they do it well because they do not see limitations, they know they can do anything they put their minds to.

Simply put a multipotentialite is an innovator, a creative individual, who is not driven by any one passion or interest.

Again, to drive this home, do not feel badly that you want to do a thousand things or ten things at once, maybe limit it to three (hah!), all you have to do is plan how you are going to achieve all of these things, set goals, short term goals, so that you do not get overwhelmed, in order to achieve the bigger ones.

Understand that there will be stages of confusion or feeling like a ship without a rudder. When you find yourself in this position, don’t shutdown or be in despair, do something! Even if it does not suit you at the moment, look at it as a learning process, and that the lessons you learn from this job will help you in the next job, or life in general.

Parents, when you ask your child or any child for that matter what they want to be when they grow up and they give you a shopping list, please refrain from saying, “you can’t do them all you have to choose one and only one”, say instead “which one do you want to start with, or which ones do you like best”, so you can start helping them to achieve their goals.

Reach for the stars, always!

"Use all of your interests, passions and hobbies to create the life and career of your dreams" - Barbara Sher

Source: Career Pivot, Puttylike