Let’s see if any of these statements sounds familiar to you:
- I can never stick to anything
- I know I should focus on one thing, but which one?
- I keep going off on a tangent!
- I lose interest in things I thought would interest me forever
- I get bored as soon as I know how to do something
- I keep changing my mind about what I want to do & end up doing nothing
- I work at low-paying jobs because there’s nothing I’m willing to commit to
- I won’t choose a career because it might be the wrong one
- I pull away from what I’m doing because I’m afraid I’ll miss something better
- I’m too busy, but when I do find time, I can’t remember what I wanted to do!
You are genetically wired to be interested in many things, and that’s exactly what you’ve been trying to do! [But] because your behavior is unfamiliar & unsettling to the people around you, you’ve been taught that you’re doing something wrong, and you must try to change. . . And, unless you know who you are, you’re going to agree with them!
Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher
I recall when I first learned about being multi-passionate, back in 2012, when I came across the book, “The Renaissance Soul” by Margaret Lobenstine. As I read, I remember feeling such relief — there wasn’t something “wrong” with me, after all … and better yet, there were lots of others out there, just like me!
Over the years, as I’ve learned more about being multi-passionate, and as I’ve seen more and more people writing about these personality traits, I’ve come to recognize that we really aren’t all that “odd”. In fact, I’d even venture to say that it’s the “Specialists” (those who’ve always known what they wanted to do and could stick with something for a lifetime) who are the rarity.
Think about it: How many people in your sphere of friends, family, and acquaintances have always stuck with ONE thing? I’d bet they are few and far between!
So, if you read through the list above and could see yourself as a multi-passionate individual, congratulations … you are completely normal! 😛
________________
Liked this post? Sign up to get more like this one, delivered straight to your inbox every week!
That’s a really great point. Most people actually don’t know what they want to do and try different things until they find something or several things they can commit to for a while. Meeting someone that actually knows what they want to do and sticks with it long-term is a rarity. Most of us are multi-passionate at heart, but society keeps pushing a “you must choose one thing forever” mindset on us. Variety and the freedom to change are part of being human. Great post.
Exactly! And, thank you!