As a child, I never felt limited in what I could be when I grew up. I never felt like I had to choose, but I also never felt like I had one true calling. And because of that, I often felt like there was something wrong with me, or that I was somehow lacking focus.
Not so, says Emilie Wapnick in her TED Talk, Why some of us don’t have one true calling.
“It’s easy to see your multipotentiality as a limitation or an affliction that you need to overcome. [But] There’s nothing wrong with you. What you are is a multipotentialite.“
She reminds people like me — people who have many interests and creative pursuits, people with an eclectic mix of skills and experiences — that we should embrace our many passions, explore our intersections, and follow our curiosity down those rabbit holes. Wapnick also happens to mention a few superpowers that she believes multipotentialites have to offer the world: idea synthesis, rapid learning, and adaptibility.
Wapnik goes on to note that some of the best teams are comprised of a specialist and multipotentialite paired together.
“The specialist can dive in deep and implement ideas, while the multipotentialite brings a breadth of knowledge to the project. It’s a beautiful partnership.”
In the same way an extrovert can complement an introvert, it’s all about balance, awareness, simplicity, and mindfulness. Think you might be a multipotentialite? Head over to Emilie Wapnick’s website to read her follow-up blog post, 3 Things I Didn’t Have Time to Say in My TED Talk.
