Have you heard about this word ? Multipotentialite ? Does it ring a bell ? Until a few months ago, I had never heard about it, I was totally clueless. At some point a video about it appeared in my Youtube recommendations and… here we are !
So what is a multipotentialite ? (Honestly, couldn’t they pick a shorter word, though ?)
A multipotentialite is someone who has several “potentials” that they can develop. Lots of different interests/passions/areas of expertise, whatever you would call it, and their curiosity often takes them on discovery researches, from one trail of thought to another.
In a world where specialists are glorified (you have to specialize and become an expert in a specific field to be considered a good asset to society, you have to become the best !), multipotentialites are often struggling with themselves. “What is wrong with me ?”, “Why can’t I be like everyone else ?”, “Why am I bored so easily ?”, “I should be like this, I should be like that”…. Did these thoughts ever crossed your mind ? Have you struggled to find your oh-so-called vocation, the one thing you would be meant to do, the one thing you will do better than anyone else ? Yeah, me too, I’ve never found it. And never will.
It’s easy to say it like that but : we are all different. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to discover that the way our brains work can also be all different. This illusion that we can all be experts is just what is it : an illusion. Where someone will be satisfied doing the same kind of job or working in the same industry their whole life, another one will only be satisfied for a short period and thus will have to move onto something new often. We shouldn’t feel guilty for being ourselves, right ?
And guilt, oh well. It’s been a great friend of mine for a little while. Especially after graduating from university. When you’re young and still a student, you think it’s okay to just roam and try lots of things and move around a lot, etc. The world also thinks it’s okay, you’re young. But then when graduation comes and you’re about to start working “for real” (no student or summer jobs, no internship or apprenticeship) … that’s when the expectations of everyone, yours included, change.
I was just an average young woman thinking that I was supposed to find a job and settle. I was not blind, I knew this was probably going to be a bit boring compared to what I did in the past, but I tried to tell myself “come on, time to be serious now, you’re an adult” and accepted my first job in Amsterdam. Everyone was so proud of me.
To be honest with you, I didn’t feel like this job was my great destiny, but I felt like maybe it was enough. I tried to convince myself it was good enough.
1 month into the job and I was utterly bored. It was the same kind of job I had done during my last 6-month internship so my training period had been very short and there was nothing elese to learn, nothing new after that so… Here came the disinterest. I was disappointed in myself. I felt like I was just being ungrateful.
Long story short I left Amsterdam after 6 months and came back to my home country, France. I was lucky enough to come back just before the first lockdown due to the COVID19 pandemic, but I was quite desperate to quickly find a new job, get my apartment etc instead of staying at my parents home. I did find a job.
I’ve read that their values are very important for multipotentialites and that it’s even harder for them to go against these values, compared to other people. I felt that, with the new job I found in France.
Among other things that didn’t fit with me, their work ethics were quite different from mine (and this was my third company, I was no longer a newbie). But we were in the middle of a pandemic so I didn’t want to quit a job again, it would look terrible. So I forced myself. After a month and a half I started to have anxiety attacks at work. I was disgusted with myself. After 3 months, I left to avoid further damage to my mental health.
Aaand I created my own company.
In France when you want to work as a freelance you have to create your own business, so I did. It has been a project of mine since high school but I had always imagined that I would give it a try when I would be in my thirties, when my student loan would be paid back. But well with the pandemic I was stuck at my parents home anyway, and I was tired of not trying to explore my full potential so… I gave it a try. After all it’s always better to try and fail, rather than not doing it and wishing later that you had.
I’ve heard that for multipotentialites, entrepreneurship is a good way to take advantage of their difference. They get the freedom to finally follow different paths, interests, projects etc; in short, their own path. Other recommended jobs would include managing positions, project manager, trainer/teacher to give you a few examples.
Creating my business was one of the best decisions of my life.
I still struggle because there are so many things I want to do and I can’t do them all at the same time and building a business takes time and I’m not very patient (but I’m becoming better !) but to be honest, I’ve never been so satisfied with my life. I’m learning and doing so much, I offer several services instead of focusing on one single thing, I’m achieving old dreams (like publishing a book) and opening myself to amazing communities and opportunities. Even my relationships with my loved ones have become better because I feel better. More me. There are many challenges I have to overcome (hello financial stability), but I’m becoming the best version of myself and it feels so good.
For more details, I’ll leave you to my Youtube video on the subject (it’s a bit long so grab a coffee or tea and get comfortable haha) just below.
Thank you so much for reading, and if you’re a multipotentialite please get in touch ! I would be delighted to meet to have a chat with you.
See you next week in the next article ~
Marie.
Marie K. Ricci - Author | Translator 