Why Some of us Don't Have One True Calling | Emilie Wapnick | TEDxBend
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- čas přidán 25. 05. 2015
- Have too many passions to settle on just one? Perfect. Your unique mix of interests may turn out to be your very own super power.
Author, entrepreneur and artist, Wapnick was blessed with so many interests that she was unable to pick just one. She studied music, visual arts, film production and law, and graduated from the Law Faculty at McGill University. After years of feeling anxious about her zigzagging career path and hyphenated credentials, she finally decided to embrace her plural nature and start a movement for others who lean toward being “multipotentialites.” Since launching her website, Puttylike, in 2010, Wapnick has inspired thousands of multipotentialites to stop trying to fit themselves into boxes, and embrace their plurality. She has been featured in Lifehacker, The Financial Times, and The Huffington Post. Currently, she is working on her forthcoming book, “Multipotentialite.”
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
![Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/22tVWwmTie8/mqdefault.jpg)
I think I've just found my tribe.
YES.
Same here!
hey! yes!! :D
hi5!
Hey! Hi5!!
And here I was, spending 27 years thinking there must be something wrong with me and panicking about how my life is going to turn out since I can't find "that one thing" that will fulfill my life.
I feel 100% the exact same way.
+April Dahlgren nothing wrong with us. We are all beautiful and special! We can't all be good at the same things. And that's an advantage. High five 👋🏻
High Five! 👋🏻
Hey! I just turned 33 and this video blew my mind :)
Yeah, 28 years old here and it's the same. I've studied engendering but the job was too boring. Always doing the same stuff. I changed sport every year, I tryed many different things on my free time from music to motorcycle mechanic. Now i have been jobless for the last 2 years. I've travelled a lot to discover different culture and people but even that get me bored. Now I'm waiting to jump to something totally new.
However nobody can understand our way of working. Family, friends, society and even myself are judging me. Telling I have no fixed goal, I don't know what I want, I'll never archive a long terme goal ....
Well, we have to find an other way to embrace and develop our potential. Happy to see that I'm not alone :D
Peace !
As I read the comments here I find great relief in the knowledge that I am not alone, that I am not defective or broken or a multifailureite, that my numerous interests are a gift and not a curse.
same here
same here
I feel same rightnow
This is such an important talk to me because I've been lazy with my various interests, not developing them fully, because I feel as though they aren't 'useful'. I'm a real jack of all trades and master of none. Now I'm gonna go hard at all my various interests, and develop them to their fullest potential, regardless of whether or not I can see a use for them in the future.
+Buhlebenkosi Chinhara - I totally know what you mean. I always had this voice in my head: "Just concentrate on one thing, just do it if you're fully convinced that this is the thing you want to do, don't invest much money if it's just a mood.... and so on." That's why I even didn't start with many things I actually liked to do like playing Cello for example. Really sad. Checked out for lessons and an instrument to rent, today.
+John Titor hey, I recently joined. Why?
Gosh you are just like me !
love you
Buhlebenkosi Chinhara same with me. I'm gonna focus on fields which actually relate to my career.
It's a relief for people with so many interests to hear that there's nothing wrong about that. But from my experience, I still think that there's some need to focus, like she says at some point, to dive deep into one or two of these passions, taking it seriously for a while, with a good sense of discipline. Otherwise you just jump from one thing to another, becouse nowadays there are so many things to do and learn that you would never end just trying them, and you would keep being a beginner in all you tried.
It's unbelievable that after 12 mins, I'm closer to knowing myself than I was in the 19 years leading up to it. I find myself so stressed and freaked out because, on the one hand, I have all these interests and all these things that I can't help but to want more of. On the other hand, I'm constantly being pressured into picking one thing to do and being told not to deviate from the beaten path. My feet weren't made for smooth paths. They were made for knocking stuff over and making lots of different paths. Thank you Emilie
I have had a hiring manager read my resume and say "well you didn't stick with one particular skillset all your career". Many times you'll face the Imposter Syndrome, so brace yourself for a lot of backlash when you choose this path. But in the end, it will all be worth it.
Yes! I am a multipotentialite! I'm in tears because everything and nothing interested me and like she said... I would get bored. Thanks so much Emile, for allowing me to believe in me.
So in my life I've been a lit major, communications student, theatre actor, makeup artist, weapons wrangler for films, massage therapist, indie film maker, lymphedema therapist, teacher, and instructional designer, project coordinator, educator, hobbiest photographer and digital media remixer, roller derby player.... Now i do instructional design as my day job, but makeup, film production, media design and sound rremixing/ playing music have alllll served me well here. I have been told on my occasions why can't i just pick one thing.... and when i tell people everything I've done they look at me like I'm crazy.... and I always thought that maybe i was- a little ADD with a dash of hyperactivity.... but no. I'm a multipotentialite and I have THE coolest super powers ever! Thank you so much!
Yep! If people look at you like you're crazy, it's because they can't imagine how you do it all! But you do! Your various talents all work together (except maybe the roller derby playing), so you are building on your successes across your personal interests. Even the roller derby playing helps, because it connects you to a fast-paced world, and you can identify with that when you do photography, digital media, or whatever else...
Hooray! I'll be 80 next year and have finally found out what to call myself besides a 'failed, broke genius'. Many times I've wished I were dumber and could only do one good skilled thing, and be financially successful as a one track mind person as I see so many people rise up in the ranks while I got fired every time. So I just can't work for any company - figured that out. Too late anyway, I should be retired they say. Nope, I'm just getting starting, thanks to you! Sigh. My interests have been so many, many, many, many, and always have been told that I'm talented, can do anything I could set my mind to... but durnit.. never could set my mind on any one particular thing! So I found this site looking for some way to totally combine some of my greatest interests of painting, writing, blogging, acupuncture, oriental medicine, earning money, fitness, yoga,tai chi, meditation, anti-aging, beauty, health, end-times, earthquakes, earth changes, philosophy, Marian apparitions, conspiracy theories, chemtrails, and many, too many, more. So... THANK YOU, Emilie! I'll get cracking on working up a pro-con comparison scale chart and maybe a flow chart too. Yay!
Hey, I like a lot of those things too! Haha! :)
That's the spirit!
I love this! Never too late ❤️❤️
Dee I’m 33 and I feel like you! My friends think I’m insane because I find a new hobby every few months, dive in so deep I’m basically drowning, and come back up for air only to find a new hobby. I collect things, I do many different things but can never quite find my passion. I want to do it ALL, and don’t like being told I have to limit myself. Right now I’m into watercolor painting, and I happen to be good at it, I also love reading, I’ve tried writing, I love makeup and skincare, I love animals, reading, forex trading, video games, conspiracy theories, science, English, religious studies, crystals, stargazing, astrology, and so many other things. Some things I like seem to contradict others but in my head they’re all connected. I’m glad I’m not alone!
@@roxanatorres5235 I'm quite like you as well. I think it's one of the MBTI personality types. Look up ENTP and you might find what you're looking for.
When a random video describes you perfectly...
One of the best talks for me personally. I'm so glad I was curious enough to click on this one. It all makes so much more sense. I'm totally in the same boat!
+GeoAl09 Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
+Deana Rock Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
z
+Yuvraj Bajaj Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
same here
To everyone who tells me "You are so confused and out of focus!!!", this video explains all the frustration I have to undergo to choose between things. I SEE NO DIFFERENCE!! I am interested in so many things. Given the right resources and time I want to pursue everything!!!
Ever have one of those moments your casually surfing Facebook and run across a video that totally sums up everything about you? Absolutely a mind blowing inside to the inner workings of me and I'm sure many many others. I watch ted talks religiously and I've never felt compelled to comment on any of them until now. Thank you Emilie. Great Video.
Yup, just happened. :-)
+Kenneth Lasyone Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
+Phil Marek Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
+Yuvraj Bajaj Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
I lost my anxiety pills due to this
I've had 24 jobs in my life at age 30. Everything from managing 60 employees to cleaning toilets and everything in between. Somedays I feel like top of the world and there's nothing I can't accomplish, other days I feel like shit, like I haven't accomplished anything at all in my life due to my lack of focus.
I am 40 and had over 50 jobs from gas station attendant, managing 150 people to writing newspaper articles, etc, etc. Welcome to the club! Our flexibility/adaptability is what keeps up employed in this changing world. I used to marvel at people that found their 'true' calling in life but this narrative has to change as we now know there is such a thing as a multipotentialite! :) Thanks Emilie! Great talk!
you shoukd watch the anime "golden boy" my man!
WOW! I'm a multipotentialite - and I LOVE it!! I've never know what I wanted to be and never pigeonhole my kids. I have been a teacher, trainer, florist, geologiest, PA, web-geek, scholar, astronomer, tarot reader, crystal therapist, cross stitch designer and many many more. 1 and a half years is my limit for most things but I now value my ability to do so many things - couldn't have said it better myself...
I totally feel like she was inside of my head. She described my whole life to my thoughts, patterns and anxiety about being all over the place. I have never been able to pinpoint what I wanted to do with my life because I'm generally interested in so much. I always chalked it up to having ADD. I've struggled my whole life with this question.
Natalia, the same thought screamed through my head! Does she have a script of my brain?!?!?!
This video makes me want to cry! I feel that someone understands me! I'm no longer alone! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 🙏
I absolutely adore this video and I watch it a lot, reminds me that it's ok.
This video is everything to me and brings tears to my eyes. All the pain I've gone through because I felt like there was something wrong with me in not having a "thing," and disappointing my parents when I changed my mind over and over. So many of my friends have gone into fields that they've planned for since high school: dentistry, medicine, law, insurance, etc. And I've switched majors and fields more times than is deemed socially acceptable. As a result, people are always surprised about my wide and varied knowledge base, but as impressive as it is at a party to be a jack-of-all-trades, it's not as respected in the real world to have tried five different things in five years than it is to have stuck with one thing for five years.
*I got my One True Calling*
- Do whatever you want to do, try different things.
I struggled so much with picking a major in high school and even in college--it kept me up at night, trying to figure out my "one true calling" because I was good at lots of things. I SO wish I knew about this concept back then, but I'm so very happy to have learned of it recently, and to (finally) replace that negative story I had been (unconsciously) telling myself, that I can't commit, that I quit when it gets hard/boring. Thank you for sharing this message with the world--it really needs it!
I wanted to be a lawyer and a hair stylist but I've been told to choose only one. But none of those was truly a passion. The high school orientation person told me and I quote: " You do not have any talent or anything you extra good at, so choose whathever you want." Since then I still wanted to found out the one thing I was good at and struggling with this failure that I had no talents. Can I tell you how much I sleep better now after watching your video. Thank Emilie!
Uff.. can't hold the tears right now. I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted of my chest, making me feel so relieved and hopeful. The thing is.. how do i make a living being a multipotentialite?
You don't, you get a job to fund what you want to do.
Min, you get a job like everybody else. The good news is that employers WANT multipotentialites! Us multipotentialites are seen as abnormal in school, but bosses love us! We do what they call "multidisciplinary thinking". As with any job seeker, you start by writing out your strong points and your personal interests, then build your resume around that. You need to focus for the employer that you're sending your resume, but you always have to do that. By the way, the days of sending the same resume to 100 places is gone. Do your research and try to send 10 custom letters and resumes a week. If you can't do 10, do as many as you can, but the key is to do research and make it personal. List how you are "perfect" for the job. As a multipotentialite, you have more items on your list than most people, so pull from the list. I find it crazy the way that people say that you can't get a job if you're a philosophy or English major. Anyone can connect their interests to the real world. Philosophy majors understand the history of human thinking and can talk about how to market to the public based on where society is now, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. English majors know what's involved in telling a good story. Every marketing department in the nation would like a marketing employee that's good at writing compelling stories to sell their products. Choose the types of companies that interest you, then sell yourself, using your long list of interests and talents. Does this help you? Let me know if you have any follow-on questions.
combine, application
I suggest taking ideas from ur many interests and trying to combine them in a new way that has never been done before. Many highly creative ppl don't specialize, they use their many interests as fuel for their creativity and are able to approach things from different perspectives because of this. There's a documentary on netflix that I believe is called "the creative brain" and it highlights this along with other aspects of creativity. So I say try to look at one field ur interested in through the lens of another field, and see if there's a new way to do something, or try combining aspects of many fields to do something wholly unique. This is how a lot of invention and innovation happens.
We can't find jobs that makes full use of our potential and that leaves us unsatisfied. I can only think of a few jobs like bureaucrats, urban planners, film editors, authors, top marketers and some project managers. A common theme here is a working understanding of the socio-politico-economic scenario as well as the human psychology, arts and technology.
Now, if you're aware of the MBTI personality types, NT types (4/16 types) only account for around 12% of the population. They include ENTJ (leaders like politicians), INTJ (masterminds like bureaucrats), ENTP (entrepreneurs), INTP (architects, researcher, economist, scientists, lawyers, author etc). Now, the thing is, those with J such as ENTJ and INTJ are more disciplined when it comes to work. And thus more successful and on the top of the food chain (as you might have noticed from the positions). ENTP & INTP have the most difficulty juggling our interests. But at least when an ENTP is successful in his venture, he's able to rise very quickly. But a programmer or a scientist, sitting in his corner desk, still has to follow orders from the rest of the NT types. Which is a difficult thing to do, given our curiosity for newer topics.
(I had replied this to a previous comment but I feel this could help you as well.)
Oh man, this talks directly to me. How many years have I wasted thinking that there was something wrong with me and why I couldn't decide the one thing I actually want to do? Wow, life changing for me.
So being a EU Funds Consultant, Project Manager, Office Manager, Blogger and Traveler for last 10 years and than becoming Yoga Teacher and going deeper into Meditation and expressing myself by art and crafts is not about looking for my destiny... it's just exploring my potentialities, multi-potentialities. This is so relieving! 😃
I've never identified with anything more in my entire life. She was speaking the exact words that constantly run around my mind every single day. I'm so glad I'm not alone, but dear God, I don't think I've ever met someone like me in real life. Need to start a support group, but we'd loose interest after a few months 😂
I haven't cried during a Ted talk like that before. Thank you Emilie, my life has come alive because I found your website
Just a month ago I posted to one Dream Builder course generally asking if anyone feels like me, because I want to achieve so many dreams and I find it too hard to choose only one. Some got me a little, majority said I am just procrastinating, everything I want is too different, I should focus on some sort of Brain Building courses... Literally felt like... Now I know I am multipotentialite ! :) Thank you for this!
This video has helped me make sense of my life and releived me of much anxiety.
I'm a multipotentiale from Indonesia, and to me, this speaker is my hero/savior, because she spreads out such important yet still barely unknown truth about the "multipotentialites" type of people, whom also often are misunderstood, especially in this current 'specialized/specialization' modern society we're living in today.
keep spreading this useful info to shed the lights, and to make people understand about the multipotentiales, and how they can also contribute greatly to the betterment of society, humanity, and the world! :)
Indo multipotentalite here too, living in the States!
I'm also a member on Emilie's Puttytribe forum where multipods mingle. :)
+Niki Wonoto Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
+Nancee Marin Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
Yuvraj Bajaj I didn't know about that, so thanks for letting me know!
It is mind blowing to know that there many people as represented in comments below that are 'suffering ' guilt for being jack of all trades like me!
For years I have been in so many things and never being fulfilled by a single trade!
I just found out the truth of who I am today!
There's nothing wrong with being a multipotentialite/renaissance person/polymath. The problem is that a polymath is an EXPERT in multiple fields. A person who gives up when something gets tough (and therefore boring and not exciting anymore), is just a dabbler and someone who knows next to nothing about many amazing and expansive fields.
We all have that habit of trying exciting new things until they get hard because as Emilie says, we've been beginners before. But it's not enough to be a chronic beginner, you need to get really good at many fields if you're truly interested in them. And trust me, if you think something got boring early, you're missing 90% of the knowledge left in there because you're not creative enough to work on discovering it.
+Blockhead nobody after aged 5, has the habit of trying new things, seeing them as - things which might be exciting to learn!
+Blockhead Thanks for this insight, this really a big point I deal with since I saw this concept. I think the Talk is great, but can confort lot of people (me?) who are definitively dabblers in many fields that they are so special. What is sure is the therapeutic effect of the message is a great thing for anyone concerned.
Yuvraj Bajaj I agree that many people don't try new things after a certain age, this is probably something to do with our education and methods of teaching. However, I certainly try new things all the time and I dedicate myself to surpassing the challenge of getting good at them. I honestly think that's the only real way to be happy - to keep learning and growing through challenges. :)
Laurent Memmi No problem! Agreed that it's a good thing to feel relieved hearing that we're not the only person who dabbles, and to feel like someone accepts us for how we are. :)
@@LaurentMemmi Don't give your gift up. Rather, streamline. You can still have your hobbies and passions but pay more attention to those which you think you can monetize. Think realistically. Do you think you can make it as a musician, author, actor or a pro athlete? Not to be discouraging, but the chances of that happening is extremely low. In a population of 6-7 billion, maybe only 100,000 can make a decent living out of it. That's like 0.001% of the population. One has to be the cream of the crop. But as a jack of all trades, we probably aren't that. But if you're a painter, there are higher chances you understand art well. And can work as graphic designer if you can't sell your paintings. Design apps, logos, websites and what not. If you're a programmer, you can learn new languages. Design APIs, websites, etc etc
6 years later and here i am, I'll be 31 in 20 days and i just discovered today that I'm a multipotentialite, i always felt i was mediocre not extremely good at anything but i could do everything very well. Always looked at as oh "mrs know it all" i can do men work, girl work. Whatever i am interested in i can do. I literally cried when i finally "diagnosed" myself. My son will be 7 soon he's on his 3rd career choice, i liked how he said "mom i changed my mind i want to be a singer" after first being a racer then a policeman
she just described my life. I was constantly said to concentrate on one subject all my life. but I couldn't. I thought I had a problem. but not from now. I am going to chase my writing, speaking, bodybuilding, business...all together.
thank you, Emilie
Your interest are just like me let's do together good luck
I have always recognized that I wanted to be not just to be in one profession but many. But I couldn't embrace that due to the 'culture'. I didn't realise 'Multipotentiality' until I read the speaker's blog. Now I feel so much normal to be what I'm. The world needs us! Inspiring talk...
I just started finished Emilie's Multi-Passionate Branding course and started reading Renaissance Business book and was really stuck on a section. Then I watched the talk and things became so much clearer... I LOVE listening to Emilie speak from the heart, she's so authentic and exudes inspiration!
At 12:10 I noticed the sign language interpreter. That's awesome! :)
Thanks to Emilie I figured out at 51 what I was and why I struggled in traditional workplaces. She gave me a new lease on life - I am embracing my multi ways and finding those awesome intersections. Her message is important and I hope it is shared more widely!
Always enjoyable to find a TED talk you can personally relate to
Proud, forever curious, love to learn/make/do, lover of life Multi-potentialite here! Now, I add the word Loud to the list of applicable adjectives; for now I have the resource (HERE!) to explain my gifts, and not apologize, but embrace. Yay!!!
I’ve never understood myself more than after watching this video. I get close to finishing something and quit because I’m afraid of failure and get bored. I can do pretty much anything I set out to do, I don’t ever master it but I learn new skills fast.
This talk is phenomenal. Emilie is leading the way for all of us who can't stick to just one thing. She does a fantastic job of explaining what a multipotentialite is and what's so great about us in this talk. I just hope thousands and thousands of people get to see this talk and either realise that they are multipotentialites and accept themselves, or understand that a friend, family member, or student is a multipotentialite and encourage them to follow their many passions. Thank you, Emilie!
Emily Wapnik, I LOVE YOU ! 🌹 THANK YOU for a therapeutic lecture filled with humor and perfect diction. Wonderful information...so liberating....EPIPHANY much needed. GOOD LUCK in all you do. 🍀
great comment
+Adela-Adriana Moscu Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
+Luis Miguel Sanchez Torres Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
Took a while for me to convince people I'm NOT a pathological liar but could never find what I *am* for ages till someone kindly said Polymath. Now there's multipotentialite AND (far more importantly) a whole damn tribe
This describes me to a T! What if my passion in life is that I love to LEARN? The idea of constantly improving myself and gaining knowledge in a new field makes me thrive. What kind of career would work for me?
Geography. That´s it. The best career ever for multi-talented people. It has a little bit of everything, general culture, basic knowledge of a variety of fields and a trend to technologies. The carrer of the future. I am myself a multi-talented or a person "without a true calling" and study Geography as a carrer was defnitely the best decision of my life.
Hello Jelena. Studying Geography as career is basically study diferent aspects of human life and natural scenaries on Earth. You should combine both human and physical factors and how they relate with each other in space. Link of my college faculty if you want to know more: geografia.fcs.ucr.ac.cr/
If you are fascinated about other cultures and how they move and interact and what makes them tick, I would highly recommend Social Anthropology (and reading some Joseph Campbell can't hurt). That's always been fascinating to me, as opposed to geography, which is a broader subject field, or Sociology which deals with smaller groups, or psychology for within the individual for that matter. Those are all academic fields, and the only one that really has potential for a lucrative and stable career is psychology. But you have to get a ton of degrees first if you want to be any kind of therapist or counselor or more.
Outside of academia? Anything that will expose you to the maximum number of people with different ethnicities, different ideas, different ages, different cultures, different genders, different classes, etc., not just the ones within your comfort zone. From this foundation you can really be exposed to anything and get inspired and develop networks within whatever your field of interest is now. Living in a big city sure helps, and decent colleges also is a great place for that to happen.
If you love to learn, why not teach? I think it's a two-way street as a Multipotentialite teacher, you'd learn just as much as your students! And along that train of thought, if you really want to immerse yourself in another culture, why not teach English overseas?
Thanks for the recomended literature and advices Villemar, I will surely check out Joseph Campbell and Social Anthropology for sure!. Thank you again for taking the time to write. Take care.
Psychology is a good place to start but takes Discipline and Dedication!
Wow, I never thought of myself as a multipotentialite. I have been a flight attendant, a florist, a business relations analyst, a job coach, and most recently became a certified elementary teacher! I love knowing how to do many things. And now I suddenly see multipotentiality in my 19 year old son...thanks for such a great talk.
This truly resonated in my heart. It was because of me trying to come up with a solution to my problem, that I came across the Multipod blog one day. It was then that I learned that being multi-passionate was not a curse but a gift that not everyone gets in life. I hope to one day be able to really utilize all of my talents and interests to make a difference in the world. And if I do, I'll have Emilie to Thank.
Amazing!! I don't know why but this made me cry. Maybe it's because I know Emilie and her journey, but I think it's because I'm so happy that the word is finally getting out about people like us, people who don't want to choose. People who are perfectly happy having lots of creative interests and pursuits. I can't ever imagine being any different than I am, and I wouldn't want to be. #MultipotentialiteForLife
I rarely have the inclination to respond, reply and remark in social media. When it's impacting, insightful and relevant I have no problem with saying "This was a fantastic talk"... Thank you Emilie, I have updated my profiles accordingly, with pride !
+Mazza Woolfson Watch this flick, Divergent (2014) having shailene woodley. It talks about same thing. :D
And therefore I realise, why that film comforted me so much when I saw it on BIG Screen. And why it remains so close to my heart, why I get so moved every time I watch it.
I could have saved the money for my consultations with a psychologist have I seen this 2 years ago :D
great ideas, thank you! :)
I think this video just changed my life. I feel so much better about myself and about all my different passions. Thank you so much Emilie!
"So.. I CAN?" That's the first thing i asked after watching this. I'm fully aware that I'm wired differently and always ending up compromising myself to properly choose but I don't have to! & it's okay! I've always had interest in drawing since I was 4 & still doing it now (23) coz I really love it but I constantly find myself asking if there're possibilities in combining everything we've learnt & make something that hasn't been made reality of. Thank you, Emilie.
Creating an Instagram account is free. If you post our work, you can have a good idea if people like it.
This is how new things/inventions come into this world, by combining different things we love together in ways never done before. . .
Holla! Thank you Emilie! I've always known this is who I am, but never knew there were so many others out there or that we had a title! And yes, I've certainly wondered if this was a huge deficit at times. My kids (teenagers) are going to love this too!
Good to see this video, i wud just share my experience, i loved realistic pencil drawing, playing guitar, singing, swimming, coding, photography, hardware designing, web designing, teaching electrical engineering, riding and so on n on n on....
I just could not fit into a single job, by the time i experticed, i felt it less interesting... Shifted a few jobs...
Could not take it any more, i had to decide what i needed to do to be stable.
In my present electronics job, i decided to use all my interests to learn every aspect of it, starting from harware designing, programming, app ui designing, photography, audio programming... Now i know how an end to end product can be made, im clear now how to satisfy my urges and at the same time to direct them to converge at a point. Its been 5 years now in current job, filed 3 patents.
And my remaining interests iv put them as hobbies, that keeps me happy...
Hoping my information wud help some one.
All the best guys. We are not abnormal, we are unique...
I'm on a similar path.
Happy to see you doing good.
After watching this I am now not anxious about my many interests but instead have great pride in them. I look forward to using my many strengths and skills as a superpower.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!! all this time I thought there was something wrong with me. This is amazing. It literally took so much pressure off of my shoulders.
Amazing! Emilie, you did a great job! I really appreciate the way you explain that being specialized is romanticized in our society. For so long I've been looking for 'the one', the career to make me feel accomplished...normal. Now, because of you and others like you, I can step back and realize that I am a multipotentialite, a renaissance soul, a jack of all trades and that's not just ok, it's awesome! I'm changing my single 8-5 for 2 part times doing two different things I love. :-) Thank you!
how could it be possible that such a video exists on earth and no one told me about till today!! Thanks Emilie, the fastest book-buying decision I took was buying yours. Thanks :-x
this is all I needed to start working on my new projects
LET'S LEARN JAPANESE !!!!!
Wow, this actually makes me feel SO much better about myself and my indecision. This is important!
I am often annoyed with myself, and sad for the interests I have abandoned so far. This video makes me feel less alone, I had no idea this wa s a thing.
Now to accept it, and try and use it to my adventage. Thanks Emilie.
you know this is also called giftedness, right? totally the same issues, same sad response from society. if changing the label makes it easier for people to relate to, easier for people to admit to being, and makes it less threatening to everyone else, yay! go, Emilie!
Something clicked right from the start and I cried throughout the entire talk. Thank you deeply
This multipotentialite says THANK YOU! Great work, Emilie. Erasing "Jack of all trades, master of none" from my vernacular
Freaking brilliant !!! We are many rolled into one shining package. . . We have genius and we have superpowers. . . There's a lot to feel great about right here. . . Thanks Emilie for your delightful and insightful presentation. . . You rock !!!. . .
I had a tear in my eye watching Emilie do this talk - just like when I discovered Puttylike about a year ago!! Changed how I think about myself in such an amazing way. Goodonya Emilie! Thankyou.
Amen, Emilie! I was nodding my head throughout most of this. Thanks for sharing on such a personal level.
"Oh how cute. You can't be a violin maker and a psychologist, you have to choose." (Cue slide) "This is Dr. Bob Childs; he is a luthier and a psychotherapist". :))
Thanks for breaking it down so well, especially the mention of the romanticization of the one true calling.
I applaud your courage in doing this--wow, not just public speaking but a TED talk! Speaking as an introvert, that is huge.
I keep coming back to this speech and watching it again and again. I love the message, so well put. I'm 100% a multipotentialite and have struggled for years with anxiety and anger that I couldn't "settle down" like my peers. This is a breath of fresh air and so needed right now. :)
At this point in my life, having done so many things and in carreer transition yet again, I was feeling unwanted, unneeded, and a bit of a failure for not having tremendous success in one particular field. Hearing your talk touched a deep chord in my heart, tears flowing and released all of the inner making it wrong in my mind. Thank you for the blessed gift of realizing I am not alone, wrong or unneeded and unwanted for being the curious, passionate, intelligent being I am that loves to learn so much about life! Great talk!!! Thank you from a fellow multipotentialite of the past 60 years (and perhaps multiple previous lifetimes!)
This is me .... 1000000% me. Just found this term today. Someone else who knew I've been struggling with my "calling" found it and passed it along to me. So I'm now on a mission lol. Another mission. All I need. YES IT IS!
I'm so glad to know there is nothing wrong with. I don't know how many times I stayed up late, worrying and having anxiety over not being able to do what I want to do in life. It's a bit worse now because I'm in college going on five years now...and haven't chosen a major and I thought maybe I didn't have a purpose or I don't know but now it all makes sense and for the first time in many many years...I don't feel anxious when I think about my "life calling."
I'm so glad and very appreciative of the person on twitter who suggested this video. Literally, my sister and I were just having a conversion earlier about our purpose and life calling and such and I literally had to leave the room because I started freaking out and asking her "What if I don't have that one thing?? What if I'm nothing because I can't find anything.This is all there is for me because I don't have that one thing in life." ...but it's not true because I have many things...I just can't choose one and that's okay.
I did several things in my life and I figured out I love like a hummingbird or honey bee - I go from flower to flower (thing to thing) gathering information that all come together
18 years and I just learned the name of my "state". thank you Emilie.
Thanks A Lot! I Finally Found A Great Person Who Give Me The Passion To Be Myself Again... I Love You 😍😍😍😘
She just described myself. I think I'm going to cry
I found out a few weeks ago that I'm a multipotentialite. It turned my world upside down, but it made everything make sense. Now that I'm starting to understand it I can create my business to exploit my many passions. Thank you Emilie for sharing your heart with the world.
Thank you, thank you thank you - now I feel so much better about something I have been struggling with for a long time and recently it has gotten worse while trying to 'brand' myself - what a nightmare that has been! Power to the fellow multipotentialites!
I have ALWAYS wondered why I type SO fast! It is only now that I realized it's because I played piano as a kid! Wow what an amazing knowledge to learn. Thank you for that.
I have never felt so understood or felt so liberated to do what feels natural to me. Thank you!!!
This is so me!! I always wondered what was wrong with me, why I couldn't be like everyone else. This makes sense now.
Same. I was told it was part of my mental illness & that I should find one thing I really like & be good at that
I love drawing, making music and film scores, writing stories, writing poetry, singing, studying the brain, philosophizing, studying cosmology, analyzing fiction and video games, and voice acting. I feel guilty because i am unable to practice all of these skills any given day and I tend to choose whatever interests me at that given moment. Whenever I do one thing, my other skills suffer. My biological father is a born specialist, knowing that being a filmmaker is his born passion. He encourages me to find my one passion and is confused when I tear up and say “I dont know.”
I am terrified about finding a career that I will be satisfied in and that I feel I am relevant in.
I am a jack of all trades and a master of none and ive found that while other people excel and achieve in their one area rapidly, I am not improving due to my sporadic array of interests.
OMG!! I am almost a senior in college (at age 51), and I have struggled with what I wanted to be when I grew up. This spoke to me, and helped me more than you will ever know. I am Blessed to have listened to this~~~thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I just realized I am more perfect after your speech. I can see clearly now how my Multipotentialite personality had help others along my journey. Thank you for your talk and message.
+Serene Ng and please tell me more on, how your journey helped others! I am really interested. :)
One of the best ted talks I have seen. Being a multipotentialite, I would continue to explore my passions and would not hate myself for not diving deeper in one field..Thanks Emilie.
Thank you for making me realize I'm normal and it's okay to be who I am. I'm 15 and now I know I can be and do all that I want. Thank you so much.
Not surprising but this is great Emilie... around 7m into it the tears started. Good tears, not sad tears. Thank you.
My film director, animator, zoologist, marine biologist, artist, vet wannabe self needed this
so where can a multipotentiolite find a job? I'm a jewelry designing, graphic designing, 3rd printing, car flipping, financial advising, multipotentiolite currently working at as a gas station attendant and it's boring as anything lol.
+Nadim Hamade
As a musician, radio board operator, meme creator, movie fanatic, architectural painter, hobby historian who can only find part time work in a field outside of burger flipping or retail, I'd like to ask the same question of these people.
Right there with you guys - scientist, musician, and writer with an M.S. but a restaurant job and no idea where to go next.
And there is the fallacy of this. I myself am a multipotentalite and really wish I could push myself further. Unfortunately success for us means that we must be the top 1%. Most multipotentalites will not find satisfying jobs due to the fact that our society does not cater well to us. Only the very best polymaths can truly find success and happiness.
Well, yes, you have to be really good at one or two things that the market demands for you to have a successful career. Otherwise you won't get the highly-paid, highly-coveted jobs. So specialization in ONE thing is key. And you have to be in a place where there are a lot of jobs for multipotentialites, like the really big cities of NYC, LA, Chicago, etc. Otherwise this short TED talk will not work out as well as you think.
Nadim Hamade try being a multipotentiolite with a parent nagging you to work in something that doesn't even come close to fitting any of your multiple interests. Lol
Finally A relief after MY WAR WITH MYSELF for so long years ...now i will not quit any of my hobby THANKS!
Your testimony confirms what I have been feeling all of my life! I am among family! Thank you, Emilie!
I feel like crying..... thank you so much for this.... thank you
So jazzed to share this. Emilie, you have just validated the existence of so many who have been unknowingly searching for themselves!!!
I am obviously a multipotentialite but like other people in comments, i was never sad about being like this. In fact i was and am confident that i can be and do whatever I want whenever i want. TED talks are so good man. 👍🏾😄
Awesome job, Emilie. Thank you for spreading the message that not being able to choose is *normal.*
This is SO me, like word for word. One of my favourite Tedx Talks I've seen!
Thank you so much for calling them SUPERPOWERS :-D I always wanted superpowers, and now I can keep them in mind when planning my next move(s) in life..... thank you for a warm, caring, enlightening talk.
I was described as "well rounded" when young. Capable of trying and adapting anything from within
The world has changed so rapidly in the past decade. Multipotentialites have the upper hand on adapting to change and creating it. I believe our society will not only see an increase in multi-career paths in future generations but expand to our choices in housing and medical care in our later years.
Yes! This is so me. Thanks for sharing the message. Knowing that I'm not broken was revolutionary for me.
"We go hard." YES, I relate to this so much!