There's a certain release that comes when you find out you're a multipotentialite
The freedom that comes with learning yourself a little more
I'm a serial learner. At least, that's what I'm going to call myself.
I’ve recently found comfort in the term multipotentialite, someone with many interests and creative pursuits, who thrives when exploring multiple things. And for the first time in my life, I feel… understood.
If you’ve ever felt like something was wrong with you for being interested “too much”, I hope my story offers you relief, reassurance, or at the very least, a sense of camaraderie.
I'm a big Gilmore Girls fan, and if you've watched the show, you know that Rory Gilmore, the daughter in the mother-daughter pair, is an avid reader. Not only is she a fan of literature, but she generally always has several books on her at any given moment.
To quote an article I found the other day that was extremely helpful for book recommendations and was likewise amusing, "Rory has to pack books from different genres—fiction, biography, essays, short stories—because she doesn’t know what she’ll feel like reading throughout the day." This might be one of the reasons I love the show so much. Between her reading multiple books simultaneously and taking any and all types of classes in college, she feels like a good representation of myself when it comes to these habits.
As far back as I can recall, I've always loved learning. During my first Bachelor's degree, my university offered a sixth class for free every semester. My initial plan was to graduate early and for less money, but I ended up with two minors instead. What can I say, I’m a history nerd.
I've never been able to say with certainty that I wanted to work in a specific field. You knew from the womb that you wanted to work in sales, or be a realtor, or be a cop? That's great! I can't recall a single moment where I knew with 100% clarity what I wanted to "be when I grew up". Even now, while nearing the end of my Environmental Science degree, I'm having a difficult time narrowing down what I want to do, simply because the field is so vast.
I did a lot of soul searching during COVID-19. It's not lost on me that even though I was going through these uncertainties, I was still alive while so many weren't as fortunate. I began to pursue therapy regarding my familial background and upbringing, struggling with my faith, and essentially wondering how I would tell my family I was no longer religious, if I told them at all.
What therapy turned out to be was finding what made me tick. As my previous therapist asked me a life-altering question, “In an ideal world, what would you be doing?”, I answered with my immediate, gut response: “Oceanography”. It was a dream buried under years of practicality, wherein I settled on one degree because I couldn’t pursue the one I truly wanted. I pursued countless other things that I thought would make me happy, and did for a time, but they have all led me here.
I've been aimless for as long as I can remember. The classic "Well, what do you want to do?" has never been something I can confidently answer. I've taken personality tests, worked with job agencies, and there are very few things I've found that don't appeal to me. There’s being adaptable… and then there’s this.
You start to wonder what's wrong with you. It's like you can't make up your mind. "Everyone else knows what they want. Everyone else is pursuing their goals." But not everyone is the same. And that's okay. That's desirable, even. I tried to stop being so hard on myself and to start very seriously seeing what kinds of jobs I could do within my field that would make me happy and allow me to give back.
I’m a firm believer that the things that are meant for you will find you. As I was sitting at a notoriously long red light, I picked up my phone to check my email. I had received one from
(and be sure to give them a follow if you use Instagram!). The email was about being a multipotentialite. I had never heard this term before, but upon reading, I felt a sense of release and relief, like I was a little lighter.
So, what is a multipotentialite?
Per Test Gorilla, "Multipotentiality is a concept that refers to a person’s capacity to excel in different areas, thanks to their multiple talents and skills." Emilie Wapnick, a TED speaker and author, originated the term to describe people who have multiple talents, interests, and passions and who can engage in many different creative pursuits. In her TED talk, “Why some of us don’t have one true calling,” Emilie discusses multipotentiality, arguing that multipotentialites have multiple strengths, such as idea synthesis, rapid learning, and adaptability.
Suddenly, everything made sense. I wasn’t indecisive. I wasn’t unfocused. I wasn’t “too much”. I was meant to learn, adapt, and connect the dots across different fields. What felt like a curse for so long was actually my greatest gift.
Some examples from my personal life on being a multipotentialite include my being musical, multilingual, and an avid reader. Over the years, I've amassed the ability to play several musical instruments: Piano, Trumpet, Clarinet, French horn, Bass Clarinet, 6-string guitar, 12-string guitar, Auto Harp, Chord Organ, Harmonica, and Ukulele. I’m also always learning languages simultaneously: Spanish, Italian, Irish, Japanese, German (it's that on-and-off-again relationship), and French (same as German). Hate me yet? I'm currently reading two audiobooks and two physical books. I had to set a boundary for myself because I used to read 10 books at once… I’m that person.
I used to feel awkward listing all of those off to people who would ask what my hobbies are. “Oh, what musical instrument do you play?”, as I’d laugh. I thought it sounded like I lacked direction or couldn’t commit to one thing, but I now understand that this ability to rapidly learn is a strength. The catch? I have to set boundaries so that I don’t take on too many things at once, and spend the time to truly learn things with the ultimate goal of mastery.
It’s easy to learn how to say “hello” in 20 languages, but that can only get you so far. The real skill comes from sticking with fewer things and learning them more fully. This is the true challenge for multipotentialites.
We all contain multitudes, but I've always felt like the odd one out in any group I've been a part of.
If you’ve ever been told you “need to focus” or that you’ll “never master anything”, know this: We do master things, we just do it differently.
We are idea synthesizers. We are rapid learners. We are adaptable problem-solvers. We are not scattered. We are expansive. We are multi-faceted.
Whenever I doubt myself and the thought kicks in that I’m “doing the most”, I remind myself of a few things:
I am intelligent
I am highly skilled
I am creative
I am a quick learner
I am highly adaptable
I am great at critical thinking
You are, too.
At the end of the day, it's incredible what the power of a single word can have over you. This stressor that has plagued me for most of my life, I now recognize as a gift. I only hope you can as well.
Shameless plug: If you're a fan of reading, I would love it if you joined me on Fable. It's a free app for tracking your reading, and you can connect with others. I created a book club called Multipotentialites Unite!, specifically for people like us!
Go do all the things, reasonably, ;)
Hunter