Laura Woythe

Unlock your multipotential

Do you frown upon the thought of doing one and the same job for the rest of your life? Maybe you are a Multipotentialite. 

‘A Multipotentialite is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life’

Emilie Wapnick

Reinvent yourself. All over again.

This realization can be as life-changing for you as it was for me. As I am about to finish my PhD journey, I feel anxious about choosing my next career move. As for many multipotentialites, an essential condition is versatility within a job. The need for every day to be different and face new challenges. And to juggle with the idea of diverse and (sometimes conflicting) job interests. For me, it is writing, editing, working in a dynamic environment (as found in a startup) and entrepreneurship. As I find myself not quite ready to give up any of those interests, Wapnick has given me new hope and encouragement to eventually pursue all of them. 

Are you a Multipotentialite?

  • You get anxious about imagining yourself in the same job for too long
  • You have broad and sometimes conflicting interests that cannot be found together in one job description 
  • You are bored of your current job and find no challenges anymore
  • You enjoy exploring many different interests (either at the same time or one at a time)
  • You see yourself as a generalist in contrast to a specialist 

If you nodded to most of the statements above, there is a high chance you are a multipotentialite. Congratulations, you learned something new about yourself! 

You should know that you are not alone in this world. Us generalists do not need to squeeze into a job description, but we have to fulfil our interests. But don’t worry, your job is not everything! Do you struggle because your job doesn’t give you the versatility you need, but you still need it to pay the bills? You can start cultivating your interests and diversity outside of your working hours. Do you find that you are suddenly interested in a new job area entirely out of your field? Do not get discouraged and try to approach the new opportunities systematically. Can you apply for a course or an internship to gain this new expertise? Or maybe you have a network that can help you with valuable tips and tricks?

The era where a person works for one and the same company their whole life is long gone. It is not a shame to start again in a new area and to grow beyond your comfort zone. Just make sure it feels right for you. 

For further reading into multipotentialites, I recommend reading Wapnicks book ‚How to be everything ‘. 

Resources:

Laura – Self Healthiness

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