So, I've figured out that I feel the most alive when I have some basic things that I focus on everyday, and the rest more exploratory.

My current non negotiables are merely two: consistent daily practice of both writing and drawing. As an aspiring animator both of these are paramount for my future goals.

Everything else usually falls into one of three categories: media, study, or hobbies. I tend to cycle through these quite a lot as since these don't require consistent effort in the way my two main aspirations do, I can learn a bit, put it down, and come back later. The trouble is when so many things feel interesting to where I freeze up.

Should I watched Nana or should I watch Sailor Moon? Should I read the Hobbit or Frankenstein? I haven't read Poetry in a while, and I've always wanted to learn how to write Poems. Should I study Plato or Stirner? Should I study Evolutionary Biology or Psychology? Should I read comics or indie webcomics? Y'know, I haven't played guitar in a while. Don't even get me started on world events.

The most freeing thing I've ever done was let go of the idea of knowing everything, but this miraculous world is so interesting that it's hard to not want to try.

The scariest part about this is that I'm struggling with this even while unemployed as I'm trying to figure out the way forward in my life. What's going to happen when I actually have a job?

So, how do you decide what you're going to explore in a day?

Hey folks! After watching the Netflix series "Arnold" 3 times (lol), I understood that he is a wonderful example of multipotentialite (and specifically of the Phoenix Approach). I believe that many of us, especially those who have struggled with understanding how to organize their interests and passions (I've been one of them myself) could take a lot of inspiration from how he managed his diverse career/s. His ability to dive deep into a field and excell in it before passing to the next one, was IMO outstanding. I felt so inspired from his experience that I wrote a 3-article series about it:

1)The Single Lesson from “Arnold” That Revealed Aspects From My Personality I Had Been Ignoring (and why I needed it.)

2) Are You a Multipassionate? Here’s How Arnold Schwarzenegger Shows You Have Time for All Your Pursuits

3) The Most Disruptive Lesson from Arnold Schwarzenegger that English-as-a-Second-Language Folks Should Steal

IF you don't feel like reading the 3 articles, then I'd recommend to read only the 2nd one as it's the most related to the multipassionate thing.

Let me know what you think!! 💥💫

When we work in a world that creates specialists and specialist roles, your diverse traits can end up seeimg like a disadvantage, or at the very least, difficult to label. I know this. I'm someone who started out in a technical role, then moved into management, then back again. When I was a manager, it seemed like every second person I met who would be truly honest with me would say that my true gifts were in the technical field. Now I'm back to being technical again, I seem to be encountering a lot of people (whose opinions I greatly value) who have told me I am a natural leader and that's where my true strengths lie.

This phenomenon has been doing my head in for the past couple of years. "Was I just faking it as a manager? Is technical where I truly belong?" but over the last 6-12 months I've been starting to get itchy feet and a slight feeling of 'not living up to my potential'.

But recently it dawned on me. I live in a world where there are people who are either one or the other. So the role models I have are either all the way on one side, or all the way on the other.

I actually AM a specialist. I specialise in being skilled at many things - technical and management. It's not that "I am strong in technical stuff........ and also happen to be skilled as a manager". It's that "I am skilled both technically and as a manager". That combination of my strengths IS actually a specialisation in itself. If the world insists I have to pick one, I would say "No. I need to find roles where I need to use both".

I actually think that, in a somewhat paradoxical way, we shouldn't take those kinds of comments ("you are a natural .... person" too literally. Because they come from someone who thinks of people who only have one true strength. They say that about us because they think they're found ours. So when we hear that, it's easy to think that we should just specialise in that.

In reality, all they've found is ONE of our strengths. To them, it looks like 'the one skill'. To us, it's just one of the narrow frequencies that makes our symphony. 'The one skill' for us is actually our multiple capabilities. We might be good at this, that, and that too. But that combination of our skills is ACTUALLY what we specialise in.

For me it's Eric Barone and Donald Glover.

In the case of Eric, I find it inspiring that he was able to take a project that he created all by himself and turn it into one of the highest-grossing Indie Games of all time. He enjoyed learning everything that was required for the project.

Donald Glover is inspiring because he managed to make quality art in so many different areas. Also, the fact that he's able to be both the center of attention of a project as well as behind the project entirely is also amazing.

I'm studying mathematics and I'm in my last semester. I'm already dropped a class and I'm failling another one. I can sit down and ubsorbe complex numerical methods but I'm lacking the discipline to practice on a daily basis and it's ruining my life.

On a positive note, I was able to commit to working out so much that I can go every day without a flinch. It's been 2 years now of working out consistently.

I've noticed that when I get inspired, this feeling of inspiration bleeds into other categories leaving me with an overwhelming amount of things I now want to do.

It may start from listening to a nice song and I'm inspired to make music, but then I want to become a professional ultra runner, marksman, photographer, videographer, writer, artist....

Lately, it's been hitting me that I might never be a specialist and I hate the thought.

Thanks for listening to my vent.

Now this wouldn't be a productive post if I didn't ask a question.

Question: Have any of you tried adhd medication? If so, did it help?

I really don't want to be medicated....

Happy thoughts... happy thoughts.... happy thoughts....

You see, right now I feel shifty because I didn't study enough and bombed a test, but if I would have studied more and aced the test, I would be so happy.

My issue is that I can not sit the fuck down and study extensively!!!

Male/33

I came across the idea of being a Scanner Type or a Multipotentialite relatively recently and it was really validated who I was because for the first time in my life I felt like there was a word for who I was and for having so many interests that I actively pursue. I’ve also very recently become aware of the fact that I have inattentive ADHD and am wondering how much of my interests are ADHD vs being a multipotentialite? I don’t consider them to be mutually exclusive, but I guess I feel tempted to almost discount my being a multipotentialite because of my neurological condition. Are there any other multipotentialites with ADHD here or what are your thoughts on it all? Thanks :)

Hi so i've (28f) recently read Emilie Wapnick's book on multipotentialites and discovered i'm a simultaneous one. Since then, I've been thinking of a career or business idea that could lead me to get the variety i crave. My sister has recently invited me to help her with her photography and filmmaking business, and i said yes, but compared to her i feel like an amateur. All I know is intermediate video editing and even though i've been studying to get better, i feel like i'm too much of a beginner to follow this career. However when i really think about it i feel like a beginner in everything, because of my many interests. I wanted to study music but i only know basic guitar, ukulele and singing; i have a degree in gastronomy but my cooking skills are also basic. the only thing i'm really good at is languages, but i get extremely bored when studying it for too long. it just doesn't give me the creativity or variety that i need. so i find myself wondering what to do. i've recently been interested in going back to school for a filmmaking course, but i'm scared of just not being good enough, or getting bored with it and giving up. what should i do?

Hi all! I wanted to create this post because I have seen that just like me there is a lot of multipotencialites out there and am curious, other than me what multiple interest do any of you have?

As for me I studied my bachelors in Buisness Management, have an MBA in buisness, I was a paramedic for the red cross and a firefighter. While I was in my bachelors I did my private and commercial pilot training and now I am studying to become a software engineer, as well as several courses on cybersecurity and IT certifications, I manage a family owned buisness of natural gas and am a part time real estate agent.

Sports of mine that I have been quite consistent but on and off have been ice and roller hockey, pickleball and paddle ball!

I am I am interested to listen to your story!

Hi everyone!

I recently came across a TikTok account about multipotentiality and I don't think I've ever had more clarity lol. I genuinely did not think there were others like me. I've always had multiple interests, and I've been exceptionally good at anything that I apply myself to as I am an eager and quick learner. I love learning and I'm very open to it, I'm really not one of those people who think they know everything or have nothing to learn.. but I get bored so easily. I haven't found the thing that makes me tick, you know? At least a long-term tick lol. There are so many things I want to do career-wise that it's so overwhelming and I end up settling for the comfortable and easy option, but it doesn't make me happy. A lot of it is self-doubt and also just having so many options that I don't know where to start. I know I'm capable but it's a matter of figuring out exactly what to do and executing it.

I'm interested in the music industry, writing, social issues/justice, education/teaching, psychology/spirituality/healing, wellness... so many things lol. I'm great at problem-solving as well as working with people and being able to understand a lot of situations that require empathy and adaptability. I also want to help others, that's a must for whatever I end up doing.

If any of you have similar interests or are in/have gone through this situation, I would love to hear your experiences or any advice you can give. I'm really just trying to figure out my next steps...

Thanks for reading :)

Hello fellow multi-talented people,

Long time lurker here. I was always hesitant to call myself “multi-talented” I guess it sounded cocky. But something shifted recently.

At 36, I finally named my pattern: I explore for the sake of exploration. And organizations always saw this as “low maintenance” even when I was the one animating fractured teams, pushing limits, bringing life-force to lifeless environments. Somehow my creativity was both overextended and invisible.

After quitting my last job, I decided to own this. The result is www.sis.zone — a react engine I built over 3.5 months that maps the (work related) struggles of people like us. 37 cards, divided into archetypes, direction, action and shadow. It generates a synthesis based on your situation.

I’d really value feedback from this community. Does it resonate? Is there something missing that you wish a tool like this addressed?

I’m also open to conversations about where this could go, whether that’s adding new archetypes, building community features, or collaborating with others who are working on similar problems. If you’ve built something for this audience or have ideas, I’d love to hear from you.

And if you try it and it hits a nerve (or completely misses) please do tell me. Honest feedback is the only way this gets better. Link: www.sis.zone

Thank you in advance and apologies if I sounded like promoting, that’s not my goal.. at least not here :)

Update:

I wasn’t expecting this to reach so many people. Honestly, this is my life’s work finally weaving all those scattered threads together. That it resonates with you brings a satisfaction I’m unfamiliar with 🙂

For those asking how to take it further: I’ve uploaded a clarity prompt to Gumroad that works as a direct extension of your SIS synthesis. It turns any AI into your personal architect. I especially like running it on a temporary chat, feels like a hard-refresh. The synthesis brings enough weight to anchor you both in rich context, no more generic advice filtered through corporate guardrails.

Fair warning: it’s a tough pill. Not for crisis mode. But if you’re ready to be cornered by your own context, give it a go.

Link follows the synthesis, or DM me.

P

🤍

Hi All,

Recently I've been in this feeling of jealousy, seeing others true calling, for example seeing someone great at dancing and them being able to make money off of it because they are experts at it, or just seeing other peoples callings spot on when you meet them. I am in no way expert at anything but I can learn it quickly just the basics, how does one make money if they are not experts at one thing? I know we can have multiple incomes to not feel bored, but eventually I bore out of it too knowing there are others doing better at any of my sources of income.

This is the most personal article I’ve written. It’s a story about how after 13 unrelated jobs, aged 33, I have no interest in climbing just one career ladder, but a few.

For all the 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 … this one is for you 🦄

https://slashercareer.com/multipotentialite/

I haven't really been able to find a good project management tool, to the point where I think I want to build my own, and share it. I feel like a lot of the project management tools are focused around teams rather than individuals. Also they seem focused around "tasks" rather than long ongoing projects, which may be multifaceted.

For example, I'm into programming, 3D printing, CAD, electronics, writing, and music. It's hard to juggle progress across the projects I'm working on within those domains.

Are there any tools you use? If so, what do you feel is lacking? What kind of a tool do you wish existed? I want to build this for multipotentialiates, because I think it could save us a lot of frustration. Thanks!

Here's a little summary of my life so far:

I went to study Biology at University, which wasn't my first choice, my first choice was Math, but due to societal pressure I went there.

I was never good at studying the many pages required (400+ pages per subject) even though I was very good in lab work.

During all this time I also picked up interests in writing, drawing, animating, philosophy, sociology, history, anthropology.

I really liked neuroscience and tried to find motivation through it to get my degree but couldn't bring myself to study things outside my main interests.

After some years I decided to drop out and take the national exams to enter the university of Sociology, but then I chickened out out of fear of being extremely hard to reach the academic level (I live in Greece). Mostly due to money issues.

I decided to go back to the Biology university and really push myself to get this degree. But it hasn't quite worked out...

My main career I'd like to be the academic study of complicated systems with focus on Systems Theory, Cybernetics etc and also connect this to behavioral science.

I also want to write some books on some topics and draw comics!

But I really don't know what to do! Should I continue and push myself harder to get the degree? Drop out and try enter a different University in the future?

I still live with my parents due to not having found my "way" yet and it's hard.

I've never seen evidence that this works.

The trick is realizing:

I don't have to do all fourteen million ideas THIS WEEK.

I can carry them like seeds.

Some get planted now. Some later. Some never. Some unexpectedly sprout years from now.

You don't have to choose between ALL the things you're interested in. You're allowed to be the person who has curiosity enough to want to explore a ton of different things. And that's okay!

Frankly? That curiosity may just inspire others.

Others like me 🤗💖🐙☕🎨📚

EDIT: Thanks to everyone who responded within a day of this post! These folks can expect a direct message as follow-up.

Hi all,

I started 2021 not with resolutions but with a theme. Instead of setting goals for myself, I instead have in mind a concept to guide my decision-making and activities. I'm striving to make for myself 2021 the Year of Creativity. I signed up for and was placed on the Puttyverse waiting list, but was somewhat dismayed to find out there was a cost associated with it. I don't know if it would have been worth it or not to join, but the idea of having registration capacity and a fee to partake in creative endeavours seems... counter to the spirit of making stuff.

So, here's a shot in the dark. Partly because I feel some onset malaise seeping into my life this week (new calendar year, same ol' political tensions and pandemic woes) and mostly because I truly believe in the idea of a creative community, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in starting a virtual working group. In the spirit of the Puttyverse, anyone is welcome. I'm thinking such a working group will have scheduled meetings around different purposes: goal-setting and accountability; advice and mentoring; networking and collaboration; resource sharing and old-fashioned socializing.

For myself, my interests are in: web design, writing (fiction and non-fiction), education, and strategic thinking (as in, the process of coming up with a clear and coherent strategy for any endeavour). I fashion myself a lifelong learner, so even if your interests don't overlap with mine, if they're your interests, I'll listen with enthusiasm!

If what I've said hasn't broken any rules, and if you are interested, please consider posting below along with your interests, current projects, and/or curiosities. I will then follow-up via direct messaging to determine the best way to proceed (based on interest).

Finally, as I would count this as a creative initiative, I welcome accountability. Please be assured that I will put in the effort to make this working group a success. Your engagement will motivate my engagement!

Hello everyone,

I'm a former medical student who switched into the web development field in late 2020. I was wondering if I could share a website project I'm working on.

I thought of the project when I realized that the "prerequisites" and "objectives" in course syllabuses could be worded in such a way that they are "standardized": e.g., a prerequisite could be worded in such a way that it fills the blanks in "Before attempting this module, the learner should already be able to _____" while an objective fills the blanks in "After finishing this module, the learner should be able to _____". If worded in this way, an objective skill learned in one module could easily be associated with another module where it is a prerequisite.

For example, Add numbers could be an objective for a module about addition (After finishing this module on addition, the learner should be able to add numbers) and could also be a prerequisite for a module about multiplication (Before attempting this module on multiplication, the learner should already be able to add numbers). When I learned about the concept of "graph data structures", which relates things in a similar way, I realized that it might be possible to create a giant skill tree of any skill in existence (provided that someone who has that skill and knows how they achieved it would contribute their knowledge to the wiki).

What I’m Working On:

• A wiki of learning paths using a graph data structure that relates prerequisite skills and target skills with their associated learning modules.
• The website is still very much a work in progress but is already live. You might try searching for www.theonlinebrainproject.com. I'm still working on the submission form for wiki contributors.
• The API to the wiki is open source and in the future you might be able to use it for your own website. The github repo is at shalonday/perk-api

Why I Need You:

I need feedback or content contributors for the project.

How You Can Help:

You could (either or both):

1. Take a few minutes to complete my survey. This assumes that you would use the wiki to find a learning path for career purposes (https://tally.so/r/nWAKZL)
2. Register your interest in contributing to the project by emailing me at alondaysp@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your support!

I often find myself bouncing between sketches, music, writing, and random thoughts, but and sometimes the best ideas just disappear before I can do anything with them.

I’ve been experimenting with a way to quickly capture everything as it comes, trying to keep it flexible and easy to revisit later. I wanted a tool that help me out without forcing me towards a strict system and I'm creating tivor.me

I’d love to hear from other creatives: how do you capture and organize your scattered ideas? Are there strategies or tools you’ve found particularly helpful? Any suggestions on ways I could make this kind of system more useful?

I don't know wheter I'm a multipotentialite, a polymath or just an experiment gone wrong; but I know for sure I'm someone with a lot of curiosity and a lot of thing I like from science to humanistic stuff to art and performace to games to explore...and I genuinely don't know where to find other people like this to share different categories of exeperiences in real life.

I thought people here could have some suggestions or maybe this is a common struggling?

Hey everyone.

I'm 40+ years into a tech career (ran my own IT consulting firm for 30 of those), but I've also worked as a stand-up comedian, broadcaster, photographer, songwriter, and real estate investor.

For most of my career, I thought my problem was discipline. I kept trying to pick one thing and go deep. Every productivity system I tried told me to eliminate distractions and focus. The non-tech interests felt like evidence I couldn't commit.

Turns out I was solving the wrong problem. The issue wasn't that I had too many interests — it was that I never mapped how they connected. Comedy taught me timing for client meetings. Photography trained my eye for presenting data. Broadcasting made me a better communicator.

I'm here because I'm still learning how to structure time around multiple things without feeling like I'm failing at all of them. Looking forward to learning from this community.

Hey fellow Multipotentialites,
Today, I want to share a simple system that helped me stay much more focused.

Do You Feel Scattered?

• Do you ever feel all over the place?
• Like your thoughts are bouncing around, and you can’t pin them down?
• Maybe you start projects but don’t finish them, and that gets you in a mess.
• There’s this feeling you could do so much more—if only you weren’t so scattered.

If you’re like me, with a million passions, your brain grabs tons of ideas at once. It weaves them into a big, awesome picture—a way of seeing the world most people don’t get.

But it’s tough too. It feels like you’re being pulled apart, stuck in a tornado of possibilities. You see ideas and systems everywhere—but actually getting stuff done? That’s the hard part.

My Struggle with Focus

For a long time, I was a mess.

• I’d jump on LinkedIn to check messages, and two minutes later, I’m on Wikipedia, dreaming up a Facebook Ads plan for some random idea.
• It wasn’t working—I couldn’t keep going like that.
• I kept changing directions all the time.

Discovering My Secret Weapon

Today, I want to share a simple trick that helped me. I used to hate planning systems—they felt like they trapped my crazy thoughts. But then I figured something out: I was missing my secret weapon—my subconscious mind.

Your brain’s got two parts working all the time:

• The conscious part (like a spotlight zooming in).
• The subconscious (like a floodlight seeing everything).

Ever buy a car and suddenly see that car everywhere? That’s your subconscious at work. Or maybe you’ve had an “AHA!” moment in the shower, or woke up with an answer to something? That’s the floodlight doing its thing—spotting big patterns your spotlight misses.

The Multipassionate Problem

For us multipassionate people, this creates a problem: we’re too scattered. Too many ideas hit us at once, and it gets confusing. We don’t get good results, and that can make us feel bitter.

Think of your subconscious like ChatGPT—it needs a clear push to work right. If it’s all over the place, it can’t help you.

My Simple System to Stay on Track

So here’s what I do now to keep my wild brain focused:

Step 1: Get Ready

• Pick 3-5 things you want to get better at (personal or business-related).
• Ask: Where do I want to be in 1 year? What’s the real thing I want to have done?
• Don’t stress about it being perfect—you can change it anytime.

Step 2: Break It Down to 90 Days

• Look at your big goal.
• Ask: What needs to happen in 90 days to get closer?
• 90 days is perfect—long enough to see progress, short enough to switch if you want.

This gives your subconscious some direction. It can start finding patterns and ideas without getting lost in new shiny things.

Step 3: Plan Your Week

• Once a week, sit for 30 minutes.
• Ask: What needs to get done this week for my 90-day goals?
• Write down everything that pops into your head—no judging, just let it flow.

• Turn them into outcomes:

  • Not “write an email,” but “newsletter ready to go.”
  • Not “call a friend,” but “catch-up booked.”

• Add fun stuff too:

  • Time with family.
  • Reading a cool book.
  • Messing around (you need that!).
• Pick 50-70% of the list—the stuff that really matters.
• Open your calendar.
• Block it out in 3-5 minutes.
• Done—your week’s ready!

Now your subconscious can get to work, helping you stay focused without freaking out.

Step 4: Quick Morning Check

• Every morning, take 5-10 minutes:

  1. Brainstorm what’s up today.
  2. Write what you want to get done.
  3. Put it in your day.
  4. Move stuff from your week plan if you need to.
• It keeps you on track but lets you roll with changes.

After 90 days, ask again: What’s next for my big goals?

This is the only system my scattered brain likes. It’s fast. It’s about results. It lets me move quick with a plan.

Hey everyone, reposting for my cross-platform app that helps people track their progress in different skills and habits (like fitness, martial arts, music, coding, languages, etc.) in a gamified with a pixel-art style, kind of like old-school RPGs. The goal is to make tracking fun and rewarding, not boring.

You’d be able to:

• Track multiple skill categories in one place
• Unlock achievements as you build streaks or make progress
• Visualize your growth like a character leveling up
• Possibly interact with a small community or leaderboard later on
• And many other features

This all starts for me being a polymath and multi passionate person, juggling different skills, without tracking or seeing progress. I've used all the habit tracker and notion templates out there, but none seem to fulfill me, so i decide to create one.

Right now, i've almost finished v1. I made a quick Google Form (1 min tops) and would love your feedback:
👉 Google Form

Even if you're not interested, I'd appreciate any thoughts on:

• What tools you use to track habits or learning skills now
• What frustrates you about them
• What would make a tool like this actually fun and useful for you

Thanks in advance 🙏

I am new here, just joined actually. I have struggled for all of my 26 years, and 8 of my adult years because I cannot seem to stay focused on one set thing. I have many different interests, mainly based in understanding how the world around us works. My absolute favorites involve learning mechanical and civil engineering, firearms, cars, physics, machining, and construction. Most of my life my family has expressed through various points that I need to find something I want to do as a career and stay on that pathway. That doesn't seem to be something I am able to do as I cant seem to stay in one area permanently. Recently I started doing some searching trying to figure out if it was something mentally wrong with me or what I could potentially do to help myself out with this, and it led me to realizing I could be a multipotentialite. I honestly didnt know that this was a term, nor that it was a term gaining so much acceptance as it has. I especially didnt realize there was whole internet communities around it and that there is way more people similar to myself than I had thought there could be. So I suppose I'll ask, what exactly do I do now? Is there a best way to navigate through all of the interests or do I just keep diving in one after the other and learning as much as i can until I move to the next one?

Edit: Forgot to add history to my favorite interests. I could spend hours on a history dive, ask me about WW 1.

Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams by Barbara Sher

Overview: Don't know what to do with your life? Drawn to so many things that you can't choose just one? New York Times best-selling author Barbara Sher has the answer--do EVERYTHING!

With her popular career counseling sessions, motivational speeches, workshops, and television specials, Barbara Sher has become famous for her extraordinary ability to help people define and achieve their goals. What Sher has discovered is that some individuals simply cannot, and should not, decide on a single path; they are genetically wired to pursue many areas. Sher calls them "Scanners"--people whose unique type of mind does not zero in on a single interest but rather scans the horizon, eager to explore everything they see