Each one of us is meant to do something great in this universe. We must discover what that is and dedicate our lives for this passion. This idea is deeply entrenched in today’s world. However, what if some people were not tempted by this way of thinking, but instead were attracted and intrigued by different topics and wished to do several things at once?
Multipotentiality, as described by Emilie Wapnick during a TED talk, involves multiple potentials. It is a divine gift that may manifest in only a small group of people.
This term refers to a person's ability to achieve excellence in two or more different fields and to have many interests and hobbies. These people are referred to as "multipotentialites." On the other hand, people whose interests lie mostly within one single field are called "specialists."
Since the dawn of history, multipotentialites were known as world changers and unconventional thinkers. We may have heard of some: Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, Ibn al-Haytham, and Abu Bakr al-Razi. In the Western world, such people include the likes of Aristotle, Descartes, Leonardo da Vinci, and Isaac Newton. All these individuals were active in different fields.
Multipotentiality may be a blessing or a curse, as multipotentialites are torn between several future career options due to the rapid pace of changing technology. With the rise of the industrial age, technology and other modern developments, the demand for such people has become more pressing. Today, some jobs require one candidate to be a social media expert, public speaker, writer, and data analyst at the same time. On the downside, some people will struggle immensely to choose the right option for them. In the last couple of years, an issue in productivity had risen, as multipotentialites needed to achieve a balance between their need to discover and grow in several fields of interest on one hand, and the increased tasks, stress, social alienation, and their inability to find a job that guarantees diversity and stability on the other.
Multipotentialites have superpowers, the first of which is forming an idea that combines two or more fields and creating something new, unique and remarkable. Sha Hwang and Rachel Binx combined their shared interests in cartography, data science, travel, mathematics, and design when they founded Meshu, a company that creates custom, geographically inspired jewelry. Sha and Rachel came up with this unique idea because of their eclectic mix of skills and experiences. Consequently, innovation happens at the intersection of these different interests and numerous fields. This is where creative ideas are born. Multipotentialites, with all of their backgrounds, are capable of accessing a lot of these points of intersection. The second superpower that a multipotentialite has is rapid learning. When multipotentialites become interested in something, they do their best to understand and excel at it. They observe everything and are no strangers to the beginner’s phase since they crossed that path several times in the past. They are less afraid when trying new things and have the courage to step out of their comfort zone. Moreover, they have many skills that are transferable across disciplines. They bring, use, and invest in what they learn. The third superpower is adaptability, which means that they quickly adapt to new situations. Multipotentialites are naturally open to challenges, they also act smoothly and calmly when the environment changes or external developments and circumstances occur. They consider each new event an adventure.
Those three skills that multipotentialites excel could easily be lost if they are pressured to limit their interests, or are not embraced or encouraged. Unfortunately, multipotentialites are motivated and encouraged to be like their peers within the same field. Another dilemma this group may face is being forced to specialize in a single field when pursuing their university degrees.
As a society, we should support multipotentialites to let them grow by establishing programs that embrace, guide and provide them with what they need. The world is facing many complex and multifaceted problems and we need innovators and unconventional thinkers to solve them. The best teams are those that consist of specialists and multipotentialites. Specialists can have an in-depth dive and implement ideas, while multipotentialites can expand their knowledge by looking at the project from several perspectives, which will open the door for new ideas. Consequently, such an investment will be surely successful.
