There are people who have many passions, many interests. Not “things like that”, fleeting approaches and then sudden changes, always in search of the new but feelings, attitudes, orientations, pleasures consolidated in different directions that vibrate deeply and attract attention. To define these particular beings, whose presence is variously spread all over the planet, an adjective is used: ” multipotential “.
In practice: people can be divided into multipotentials and specialists . The former have three skills, in particular (synthesis of ideas, rapid learning and adaptability) but they struggle to find their personal orientation and position in a society that – basically – considers (if it goes badly) slackers or (if it goes well) inconclusive amateurs – who disperse their energies into a thousand useless streams – all those who cannot take “a road”, choose “one” position, fit into a niche, practice one area, deepen “one” interest.
The first step to building a happy multipotential life, full of money, variety and meaning , is to recognize the most suitable work model for yourself.
The author proposes four:
- the group embrace : a multifaceted activity capable of meeting, bringing together all their interests; it can be identified in a sector which, due to its characteristics, is interdisciplinary; in a forward-looking organization or you can choose to start an eclectic “Renaissance activity”
- alternation : also known as “portfolio career”, it indicates two or more jobs or part time activities that alternate regularly. It could both represent a first phase, towards one’s multipotential orientation (in order to guarantee the economic coverage of primary needs) but also the real satisfaction of one’s creative / expressive needs because each individual job satisfies a different part of oneself
- the Einstein approach : a single, solid, traditional activity, sufficient to maintain itself but which leaves enough space (head, time and energy) to devote, in parallel, to one’s authentic passions
- the phoenix : working in a certain area for months or years and then changing direction, resurrecting reinventing, starting a new life – not by chance but in a desired way – in a new sector. Suitable for those looking for the deepening of knowledge and do not need a huge variety.
Page after page, Emilie Wapnick makes us feel the desire to emphasize what makes us unique; it allows to annihilate or manage in a skilful way the inevitable obstacles, the so-called ” multipotential disturbances “: anxieties, discomforts, beliefs, guilt feelings that move inside, and that make or will make people feel inadequate, as a consequence of the messages coming from the specialized dominant culture .
