I can’t remember how I originally stumbled across Emilie Wapnick’s Puttylike website. I do remember that her description of what it meant to be a ‘multi-potentialite’ appealed to me straight away. It was the first time I had a fitting name to describe myself.
Like many of the clients I work with, I’m interested in lots of different things. I have always loved the idea of being creative, but I didn’t have a single creative pursuit that gave me the sense I could claim that title for myself. One of the things that confused me most is that my passions seemed paradoxical. I love writing, photography, cooking, art and design. But I’m also fascinated by technology, business, science and economics. And then there’s my passion for psychology, spirituality and meditation. I was relieved to discover that other multi-potentialites have disparate and sometimes conflicting interests like I do.
When I started my business I read books and hired coaches who told me how business should be done. “Create a narrow niche”, “get known for one thing”, “do the thing you do best and outsource the rest of it”. I was torn because I wanted to get it right but it didn’t appeal to me to do the same thing every day. I ended up ignoring the advice because I was curious to explore many things myself. Amongst other things, I loved the challenge of learning web design and felt a huge sense of satisfaction when I loaded my first website (despite the fact it was pretty hideous). I loved (and still love) the variety in my work – there’s never a dull moment.
These days, in any given week, I’m a coach, writer, teacher, marketer, content curator, web designer, photographer, sound engineer and an accounts person (I really don’t love this role!). Then there are all of the hats I wear outside of work.
Dabbling in everything might not be the most effective way to run a business, but I define success as loving the journey and I’m doing that by constantly learning. I find it stimulating to have a new challenge. I don’t mind the time that it takes me to learn to use a complex software program – I enjoy the satisfaction once I’ve mastered it. It doesn’t appeal to me to just be good at one thing. I want to keep growing and pushing myself out of my comfort zone and I want my days to be varied – that’s what makes me feel alive.
What about you? Are you a single passion person or are you more like me, with multiple passions? If you are, jump over to the Puttylike site and say hello or share your thoughts on Facebook.
