Something that has really come to “irk” me in the past few years? When someone tells me to “focus”.
I think I get frustrated each time someone tells me this because they say it in such a matter of fact way. “You just need to focus”. “Remember, ‘keep your focus’”.
I TRY! I have always tried this. But I get so excited about new opportunities. I get excited when a new idea pops into my brain. When I get to learn. When I get to be a novice. When I get to be COMPLETELY wrapped up in my curiosity. When I get to forget about myself and FOCUS on the new task and challenge at hand. I get so excited when I DON’T deny myself curiosity. Chasing after my curiosity has caused people to tell me to focus.
People of different ages tell me this often. From a sociological perspective, I get older people telling me this more. Coming from a career-based perspective “find something, get better at it, and stick with it”, stressing the “need to focus”, makes sense. But my generation’s numbers are different when it comes to careers. According to Forbes.com, we are going to have 15-20 jobs within our lifetime. I’ve already had… more than 5? And I am only in my early 20’s.
So why do I have to focus? It doesn’t feel right to me. I don’t think it matches my personality.
I found something AMAZING a year or two ago… and I would go as far as to say it has changed my life. It has molded my perspective and has positively influenced my sense of self, no doubt!
Photo Courtesy of PuttyLike Website
A Home for Multipotentialites! Emily also has a great book that I listened to on Audible.com a while back. (Pictured below.)
I saw Emilie Wapnick’s TED Talk on Facebook and I was hooked… Emilie Wapnick has created a whole universe around the idea of “Multipotentialites”.
A multipotentialite is “someone with many interests and creative pursuits.” There is an AWESOME link on Emilie’s website that breaks down the terminology and offers information for people who might fall into this category. “Multipotentialites have no ‘one true calling‘ the way specialists do. Being a multipotentialite is our destiny. We have many paths and we pursue all of them, either sequentially or simultaneously (or both).”
Photo Courtesy of PuttyLike Facebook Page
Can you see why this is exciting to me?! Why the word “Focus” probably isn’t helpful? Why it is even frustrating?
If you feel ANY relation to the above rant (let’s call it what it is), then I would encourage you to check out Emilie’s work. It is so freeing to allow yourself to be who you are and to LIVE IN CURIOSITY!
That is all, lovelies! — Paris