The benefits of having a multi-passion

Back in the day people chose a career and kind of stuck to it. They had one special skill and made a living off of it. Today, however, people, more noticeably so; millennials, seem to dabble in just about everything. Some might argue that this is a flaw in the generation as a whole however, this could very well be our superpower.

Think about it; the way we do business has changed significantly over the past few decades. Whether it’s been spurred on by globalisation, the rise of the internet or the global recession is a whole debate on its own. Fact remains that the skills required for any position today is rarely one dimensional. So what is seen a flaw in our generation could very well be an adaptation to the current surroundings.

Others argue that millennials are fickle and lack focus…but what if millennials can focus on multiple things simultaneously simply because we’ve been bombarded with inputs and stimuli from a younger age? Whichever way you to choose to view it, having a multi-passion; or being a multipotentialite, is a very real modern day trait.

According to Emilie Wapnick, a self-proclaimed multipotentialite and founder of the multipotentialite website www.puttylike.com; multipotentialism can be described as follows:

“A multipotentialite is someone with many interests and creative pursuits. 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.”

I don’t know about you but I’ve never resonated with an idea quite as much as I do with multipotentialism. It completely captures the essence of my curiosity, my insatiable need to know how things work and pursue whatever sparks my interests. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that being passionate about varied things has brought me to where I am today. And it’s comforting to know that in a world that is constantly changing on me that I am not reliant on only one narrowly defined skill.

And it’s even more comforting to know that it’s not just me that’s weird and sees things this way. There’s a whole movement on the internet supporting, explaining and driving multipotentialism. Perhaps it’s the way of the future…guess we’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime I’ll be figuring out how this new thingamabob works…

Do you consider yourself a person with multiple passions and strong points? If so, comment below with your experience thereof and how you are perceived.