Do you find it hard to find your one true calling? (part II)

Well, continuing from where we left it in the previous blog post… let’s say you’ve gone through a thoroughly self-examination and you’ve come to the conclusion: I have more true callings!! More gifts to give to the world!

Perfect! Relax into it!

Why would someone think that this is bad? Well, for once, because our societies nowadays seem to value specialization. And this is explainable because since the Industrial Revolution overall progress has been obtained by strict specialization on the job market. Simply put, is efficient to be specialized! But is it really true? For sure specialization is helpful within the bureaucracy of a company or institution, so it helps in finding jobs, but take the on-going change of technology nowadays.. For example, the Internet was a dream only 30 years ago, but look how far its materialization has taken us! And now we can only guess how far it might go to! So, adaptability becomes a core value right now, together with flexibility. If you were to stay ideologically attached to how life was, say, back in the 90’s, you’d have so much to lose of the present moment! Only if we look to the field of mass-media, there are jobs that used to exist back in the 90’s that don’t exist anymore and new ones in the field are created as we speak!

Check out this ingenious animation about how our computer desk has changed, together with the development of communication technologies

So, in this world of continuous change, reaching job security is a myth (not that it wasn’t before, for my arguments read my previous post)!

Another side-effect is that this exposure to a seemingly infinite job-options make us sometimes confused, anxious and indecisive about what we’d like to do as a job! Nevertheless, people are looking for meaning in the actions they get involved in, and strict, efficiency oriented specialization throughout companies overlook this need of their employees.

But what if you don’t find your place within these structures? What if you feel that your passions, interests and talents are too varied to be specialized on something for years at a time? Don’t worry! There are still a lot of different type of jobs and of middle to small business that appreciate having employees that can perform in several roles at a time or … you can even create your own business!

Nevertheless, what I’d like to point out is that there are more people like you out there! I am one of these kind of people 🙂 : multi-passionate, forever curious, dynamic and a lifelong dedicated learner! And recently, to my relief, I found out that there is a whole tribe out there :D. A global tribe to which I too belong! After years of my youth seeking for my individuality and starting to feel separated from others, now I know how important it is to belong to a group! And thanks to the Internet, the tribes to which each of us belong to are at a global scale, supported by the latest communication technologies!

What I am describing is the profile of the Renaissance person or polymath or, as I recently found out the term, the multipotentialite: someone with many interests and creative pursuits. 🙂 For this last term I give thanks to Emilie Wapnick and her beautiful and inspiring TED talk that you can watch below!

Why are we, the multipotentialites, so valuable to the world? 😀 Emilie pin-points the following superpowers that we own:

1. Idea synthesis: combining several fields of interest and creating something new. So we are innovators.

2. Rapid learning: when we are interested in something, we are like sponges, absorbing everything! New beginnings are exciting to us! So, we are less afraid to try new things, always looking on ways to challenge ourselves and get out of our comfort zone.
3. Adaptability: we are super adaptable! And it seems like adaptability has been named as the single most important skill to develop in order to thrive in the 21st century.
I love Emily’s message at the end of the talk, as it is something that I completely resonate with: “Embrace your many passions, follow your curiosity down those rabbit holes, explore your intersections. Embracing our inner wiring leads to a happier, more authentic life and perhaps more importantly, multipotentialites, the world needs us.” <3

 

Do you find yourself in these words? If so, I would love to hear from you!