5 things you didn’t know about innovation as a multipotentialite
What is a multipotentialite?
If you’re a multipotentialite — a person who has many interests and creative pursuits in life, you might have some specific questions about the relationship between innovation and your unique skill set. Here are some things you need to know:
- what is a multipotentialite?
- who else is a multipotentialite?
- how do I take advantage of my multipotentiality?
Multipotentialites like you thrive on challenges.
Multipotentialites like you thrive on challenges. You’re the most resourceful person in the room and are always finding a new way to make something work.
You’re resilient, too. There’s no challenge that you can’t overcome with a little creativity and ingenuity. And when you do face an obstacle, it only pushes you to learn something new every time.
Interdisciplinary work can lead to innovation.
It’s important for multipotentialites to be aware of the special role we can play in innovation. Though the individualistic nature and curiosity that characterize multipotentialites have their benefits, they also put us at risk for certain types of burnout. It’s important to remember that stepping outside of your comfort zone is an integral part of being an innovative thinker — even if it feels uncomfortable or familiar to you, and even if you don’t feel like you’re making progress.
We need to be intentional about pushing ourselves toward truly novel, out-of-the-box ideas — and remember that it’s okay if not everything works out exactly as we imagine.
Multipotentialites are wired to be lifelong learners.
Multipotentialites are wired to be lifelong learners. As a multipotentialite, you have a deep curiosity that leads you to learn new things every day. You can learn from any experience — even the ones that don’t go as planned. You’re not afraid to ask questions and you’re open to experimenting with new ideas. And it all stems from your humble, enduring desire to grow and improve.
Innovation (by definition) is the process of creating something new or different. And while it may seem like innovation happens in sudden moments of brilliance, the reality is that innovation isn’t just about the final product; it’s also about what you do en route, which often means accepting failure as part of the process, and sometimes even seeking it out so that you can learn from it. This is what makes multipotentialites particularly innovative people: their genuine love for learning — and their openness toward failing — means they never stop improving upon their ideas and themselves as creators in order to bring those ideas into reality.
Multipotentialites are great at collaboration.
Multipotentialites are happy to take on a wide variety of tasks. They’re also good at communicating with a diverse range of people. This means that they tend to be natural collaborators, who bring different perspectives and ideas to the table in order to see what makes sense for the group.
Multipotentialite, schmultipotentialite — does it really matter?
No, really. It’d be easy to dismiss this label as a trendy buzzword, but that would mean dismissing the power of language! We as humans need a variety of words to describe our experiences. Language allows us to differentiate between things more easily, and having a word specifically for multipotentialites helps us understand ourselves better. What we call something makes it easier or harder to talk about — think “nap time” vs “siesta,” or “Dumpster fire” vs “garbage blazinig out of control in a large metal box.”
By saying that you are someone who is good at many things — and not just good at them, but interested in them! — you are giving yourself permission to explore those interests without fear of having to make the perfect decision about your future right now. It also opens up your world to other multipotentialites like you when labels help people find community and each other.
Saying you are a multipotentialite works because it has been used consistently over time by others who identify with it — it is simply true for you if it feels true for you (that is what being true to yourself means). A word can be invented on the spot (maybe you say these things: schmultipotentialite) and then gain popularity because they capture meaning in their own way. The value of naming something comes from how well that term describes your experience and how accessible the word is for others
I am a multipotentialite. I’m proud of it, and you should be, too!
I want you to know that it’s ok to not fit in a box. It’s not just ok, actually — it’s an extraordinary thing. You are a multipotentialite, someone who feels comfortable learning and doing things in many different fields or areas of interest. You have so much power, and embracing your multipotentiality is the first step towards harnessing that power.
It may seem like everyone around you is putting all of their eggs in one basket and working towards one specific goal, but I will tell you this: they’re not really happy about it. They know that their abilities extend far beyond their particular niche. They’re scared to do anything about it because it seems like too much work to change course when everything is going so well for them at the moment. Their doors are closing every day; yours remain wide open for as long as you keep exploring new things and expanding your interests
So go ahead! Be a multipotentialite, no matter what anyone says. If you set your mind to something (which I’m assuming you can because you’re so flexible), there’s nothing stopping you from achieving it! Do whatever makes sense to do at the time; if a door closes on one path, another will open somewhere else! And remember: don’t let people put limitations on who or what they think or expect that you should be
