We live in a world where specializations are valued and secondary interests are dismissed as hobbies.
Roles like doctors, lawyers, accountants, IT engineers are glorified and specialized.
While artistic endeavors like writing, drawing, painting are frowned upon because they’re not feasible
Conventional advice tells us in order to succeed we need to “niche down” and specialize in something
Yet , some of us get bored easily and find ourselves with a multitude of interests.
Whether it be photography, writing, digital marketing, psychology, we thrive in variety and have a hard time choosing just one.
We feel stuck, scatter brained and "all over the place".
We feel pressured to find that “one true calling” of ours among our sea of interests
Does this sound like you?
Congratulations, you’re a multi passionate!
You're among a large and possibly confused group of people with multi disciplinary skills .
A jack/jane of all trades and (potential) master of some aka a multi-potentialite
Not convinced? Here are 5 characteristics of a multi passionate :
1. You have a wide array of interests
From being a passionate foodie one week to diving deep into DIY jewelry making the next , your interests are widespread.
Just ask hip hop teacher/thought leader/ successful CEO/life coach Marie Forleo who fused all her skills together into a thriving business
You're happiest when switching between things you enjoy. Routine bores you and you need variety to thrive
Many can view it as being “uncommitted”, or a little “scatterbrained” but the truth is : you're wired that way.
The silver lining to is that you're constantly learning and using these diverse skills within the real world.
Case in point : Those "handy" DIY skills of yours give you an edge when it comes to building things from scratch.
Whereas the skills in the kitchen?
Teaching you how to seamlessly multi task and effectively manage time
(we all know how much those 2 skills are valued in the working realm)
Which brings me to the next point..
2. You have an insatiable curiosity
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it sure as hell didn’t kill creativity.
In fact, multi passionates are known for asking questions. Probably annoyingly so.
Their curiosity drives them to seeking answers both internally and externally.
Whether it be through a friend or through the handy use of google or quora, asking “why” sparks creativity.
3. You're an Idea Generating Machine
Chances are you've got ideas, lots of them. They may be not the greatest, but they exist.
You may even have a notebook filled with them.
Why?
Because you're a visionary at heart.
Which is why a lot of companies hire professionals externally. They're separate enough from the company to be able to offer solutions with a fresh and unique perspective.
4. You're Faster at Picking Up Skills
Since you're already accustomed to diving into new interests and acquiring knowledge from it, you're able to learn things faster.
Put it simply : The more experience you have being a beginner, the faster “getting good” becomes
You Can Wear Many Hats
Jack/Jane of all trades and master of none? I think not!
All your acquired skills from your various hobbies/interests turn out to be pretty valuable.
Not only are you able to transfer those skills into the working world, but you're able to do it seamlessly.
Nowadays, lots of companies (especially Start Ups ) are notorious for hiring people who wear multiple hats.
From social media marketer, to content writer and coordinator, you need to be able to do it all.
For a multi passionate, tackling a variety of tasks isn't as intimidating because they're used to it.
In fact, it's a challenge they willingly accept!
In the end, embrace that portfolio life of yours.
Combine some of your strengths into a career that's fulfilling and financially feasible for you
Don't get stuck in indecisive mode of trying to make cents from something that's meant to be nothing more than a fun hobby.
Find out where there's a demand and figure out a way to capitalize on your skills where people need help in!
In the words of Shakira (yes I'm going there) : Try everything!