Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling | Emilie Wapnick | TED

TL;DR

In this TED Talk, Emilie Wapnick discusses the concept of being a multipotentialite and encourages individuals to embrace their diverse interests and passions.

Transcript

Raise your hand if you've ever been asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Now if you had to guess, how old would you say you were when you were first asked this question? You can just hold up fingers. Three. Five. Three. Five. Five. OK. Now, raise your hand if the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has ever ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤔 The cultural expectation to choose one career path causes anxiety and feelings of being scattered for individuals with multiple passions.
• 💡 There is nothing wrong with having many interests and creative pursuits; it is a strength called multipotentiality.
• 💪 Multipotentialites have three superpowers: idea synthesis, rapid learning, and adaptability.
• 🌍 Society benefits from encouraging multipotentialites to embrace their diverse skills to tackle complex problems.
• 👥 Specialist and multipotentialite partnerships can be highly effective in combining deep expertise and broad knowledge.
• 🎓 Embracing one's inner wiring leads to a happier and more authentic life.
• 💼 Designing careers that align with one's unique wiring is important for personal fulfillment.
• 🌟 Multipotentialites bring a breadth of knowledge and creativity to various fields and are valuable assets to organizations.

Questions & Answers

Q: How old were the speaker and the audience when they were first asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The speaker and the audience were around three to five years old when they were first asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?".

Q: Did the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" cause any anxiety for the audience?

Yes, the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" caused anxiety for the audience, as they laughed and acknowledged feeling some level of anxiety in response to the question.

Q: Why was the speaker unable to answer the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"?

The speaker had many interests and passions, which made it difficult for them to choose just one thing to be when they grew up. They felt they had too many interests rather than having none at all.

Q: What pattern did the speaker notice in themselves when it came to their interests?

The speaker noticed a pattern where they would become interested in a particular area, dive into it, become proficient, but eventually get bored and move on to something else. This pattern caused them anxiety.

Q: What anxieties did the speaker experience due to their pattern of shifting interests?

The speaker had two main anxieties. First, they were unsure how to turn any of their interests into a career. They felt they would have to choose one thing and deny their other passions, eventually resigning themselves to being bored. Second, they worried that there was something wrong with them for being unable to stick with one thing, fearing commitment and self-sabotage.

Q: Where did the speaker and the audience learn to assign negative meanings to doing many things?

The speaker suggested that they learned to assign negative meanings to doing many things from the culture they grew up in. Society often views narrowing down to one career path as the norm, making those who have multiple interests feel abnormal or wrong.

Q: What term did the speaker use to describe individuals with many interests and creative pursuits?

The speaker used the term "multipotentialite" to describe individuals with multiple interests and creative pursuits. Multipotentialites are people who have many passions and talents.

Q: What are some strengths of being a multipotentialite according to the speaker?

The speaker mentioned three strengths of being a multipotentialite. First, multipotentialites excel at idea synthesis, combining different fields to create something new. Second, they are rapid learners and are less afraid of trying new things due to their experience as beginners in various areas. Lastly, multipotentialites possess adaptability, being able to morph into different roles and meet the demands of different situations.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker struggled with the question of what they wanted to be when they grew up because they had too many interests and became easily bored.

• This pattern of being interested in something and then getting bored caused the speaker a lot of anxiety, as they felt like they had to pick one thing and deny their other passions.

• The speaker identifies as a multipotentialite, someone with many interests and creative pursuits, and explains that there are strengths and superpowers associated with being this way.