If you have diverse interests and pursuing goals that may not be related, you aren’t confused or foolish. How do I know?
One of my popular blog posts is “Will the real multipotentialite please stand up?” It was written in 2013. I wrote about it because once upon a time I thought I had issues because for many years I couldn’t choose between law and information technology. At the same time I was an entrepreneur, an ordained minister (I still am) and interested in unrelated subjects.
I desired to utilize all my gifts, talents, knowledge, expertise and I couldn’t fathom why I had to choose. I often wondered: “Why do I have to choose? Why can’t I just be me?” One day I stumbled across the the word “multipotentiality” and everything began to make sense.
Here’s a definition of multipotentiality in Education Week:
“The state of having many exceptional talents, any one or more of which could make for a great career for that person.” – Tamara Fisher
There are lawyers who are movie actors, artists, writers, medical doctors, etc. There are medical doctors who are movie actors, dancers, MCs, musicians and more.
“We cripple our children, we cripple each other with those designations that if you’re a brick mason you shouldn’t love the ballet. Who made that rule?” – Maya Angelou
Why did I share the backstory?
There are people assigned to you because of your uniqueness. It’s a disservice to humanity to deactivate your purpose. Don’t live with regrets for not pursuing your goals, using your gifts and talents or shining light on your diverse expertise. Some have postponed “purpose” saying “when the kids go off to college, then I can be me, when I get to retirement age, then I will do ___, etc”
Do you know what tomorrow will bring? Did we know that the pandemic would happen? Utilize the gift of now.
What’s your next step?
It is not too late to activate, implement and make impact. Arise. Embrace your uniqueness. It’s time!
- Maya Angelou was a poet, singer, dancer, Professor of American Studies, civil rights worker, etc.
- Leonardo Davinci was a painter, musician, mathematician, botanist, etc.
“Diversity of intellectual playgrounds breeds confidence instead of fear of the unknown. It also breeds empathy with the broadest range of human conditions and appreciation of the broadest range of human accomplishments.” – Tim Ferris
The key is to know how to manage those diverse interests so you can utilize your time wisely and make maximum impact. If you haven’t already, get on my email list to learn how to value your brilliance.
Belinda is an award winning thought leader on mindset, global speaker, privacy and cybersecurity professional, AI governance leader, 5X author, executive coach and strategist. Through consulting, conference keynotes, and corporate trainings, she helps individuals to achieve goals, and make maximum impact in their spheres of influence.
