Are you a multipotentialite?

What do you do? Do you have trouble responding to that question?

Have you found yourself saying “my day job is…. But my real passion is….?”

If so, you are not alone. There are many others like you, those with several specialties and interests. You might be what Emilie Wapnick calls a multipotentialite.

This idea was first introduced to me by a friend who recommended Emilie’s TED talk.

What is a multipotentialite?

A multipotentialite is a person with various interests and areas of expertise. This is the musician and software engineer. Could also be the marketer with knack for rock collecting.

Multipotentialites have several paths and passions that they can pursue and be very good at. This makes it extremely difficult to name their one thing. I’ve been a bartender, trainer, public speaker, digital marketer, basketball player, coach, educator, tea master and many others.

Are there other names for this?

Generalist, Multipod, scanners, slashers, renaissance soul are some of the names I’ve seen used.

Any Famous Multipods?

Aristotle, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tim Ferriss,

How is a multipotentialite different than a specialist?

A specialist feels comfortable with doing one thing really well. They find their thing and fulfill their purpose doing that. This is what we are often told in personal development programs and career columns. Find your thing. Niche down and nail it.

Niche down or Theme up

As a multipotentialite I offer another way of looking at it. Rather than niching down, what if you were to theme up? Take all of your interests and find the common thread that connects it together.

For me I have found joy in empowering others to shine. Whether I’m mixing a cocktail or building out a content calendar, I’ve been drawn to helping those around me find their theme and learning how to really ignite that fire.

Your turn?

Are you a multipotentialite/slasher/scanner? Tell me about your interests.

Have you read Barbara Sher’s (Refuse to Choose)  or Emilie Wapnick’s (Renaissance Business) book? What do you think?