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6 Inspiration Quotes for Multipotentialites

Who doesn’t love a good quote?! I like reading them to get energized about starting something new, lift my spirits, or clarify a perspective in someone else’s words. I come across inspiration quotes daily on Instagram, Twitter etc. since many social media accounts are dedicated to them. They’re certainly not hard to find. Sometimes I “like” them, comment to show my appreciation and when they’re really good, I share them myself!

I especially like quotes that are motivating to  multipotentialites (polymaths, scanners, renaissance souls). It is hard to take an unconventional approach to learning, pursuing your interests and structuring your life. Since there isn’t a lot of guidance out there for multipotentialites, we often wonder, question and second-guess ourselves. This is only human. But the goal is always to get past these moment and get back on track.  Inspirational quotes are always timely and helpful for this.

Here are a few of my favorites that brighten my outlook and day:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnih1wlSch/?tagged=creativityquotes

As a multipotentialite, you are unique!  Further, your mix of interests meet at a unique intersection! Explore them and fight the urge to blend in like everyone else.  Own your intersection and don’t be afraid to stand out!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdTd50wBf50/?tagged=nelsonmandela

Along your journey, you’ll get a lot of feedback from others based on their fears – fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of being different, fear of taking a risk. Don’t make choices to appease them while neglecting your own desires and needs.  Their insecurities aren’t yours. Act based on your vision, aspirations and hope and trust your process.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRHRP8clXzL/?tagged=davinciquotes

Life is an action sport. As multipotentialites, we put this into practice when we roll up their sleeves to explore our interests and embark on projects. Our curiosities lead us down rabbit holes as we immerse ourselves in learning new topics and then apply what we learn.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYXZbfjAZa1/?tagged=davinciquotes

One of the beautiful things in pursuing many interests that seem unrelated is realizing there are common threads that tie them together.  Further, what you learn from one area, can be applied to improve other areas. This is how innovation happens.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWudLF4nkYM/?tagged=creativityquotes

Immerse yourself in the process. The more you do, the more you learn and grow. It won’t be smooth sailing all the time, but you’ll have lessons to apply forward as long as you’re not afraid to fail. Stay your course and enjoy the journey!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYqnKeMhlrX/?tagged=creativityquotes

As you explore your interests and create new things, share them with the world! You’ll enjoy the fruit of your labor and you’ll inspire others to embark on their own interests and explore creativity. You never know who is watching and who you’ll inspire simply by being true to yourself.

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Do any of these quotes resonate with you? Do quotes inspires you to get into action? What are some of your favorite inspirational quotes?  Share your thoughts and perspective below.  I’d love to hear from you!

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Inspiration For Scanners, From Barbara Sher

A few months ago, I started researching resources about pursuing multiple interests, contrary to society’s expectation of choosing one thing.   I read numerous articles, research papers, watched videos and identified relevant books.  During this process, I discovered Barbara Sher and her work on the topic. I read about her books, visited her website and became inspired by her work; I instantly added her books to my Amazon shopping cart!

I highly recommend Barbara’s work! One book in particular, Refuse to Choose, resonated with me. Here is the description of it from Barbara’s website:

In the book Refuse To Chose: A Revolutionary Program For Doing Everything That You Love, Barbara identifies someone she calls The Scanner–someone who frequently has a multiplicity of interests, but finds it hard to create a successful life he or she loves because their passions and abilities are taking them in so many different directions. Contrary to popular wisdom, Sher tells Scanners that theirs is a unique ability, not a liability. She also states that they must do everything they love, not zero in on one pursuit at the expense of all others. With dozens of powerful techniques Sher has developed to free people from “goal paralysis,” readers will stop thinking of themselves as dabblers or dilettantes, and find innovative ways to live lives of variety, challenge, and joy.

I couldn’t get enough of Refuse to Choose once I started reading it! How did Barbara know my life so well?! It seemed like every other line explained a thought, challenge, or scenario I had experienced before. I read with a pencil in hand to note all the lines that resonated with me (I couldn’t use a highlighter or pen because I have this thing about keeping my books unmarked and an erasable pencil brought me a lot less stress).


I took the book everywhere, including on my trip to Cuba! I’ve since gifted and recommended it to friends who have multiple interests and aspire to do more in life. One of my friends said it was one of the best books he has read (and he reads a lot)! He became a believer too. We signed up for Barbara’s newsletter, and soon after, were notified that she had an upcoming book club for Refuse to Choose. We were super excited and signed up for that too! We were so moved that we emailed Barbara to share how meaningful her book has been.

Participating in the book club for the past few months has been a great experience. Refuse to Choose is dotted with exercises which I didn’t finish while reading the book. So I looked forward to doing them as part of the weekly book club assignments.  Overall, this committed time allowed me to reflect on my interests, skills, and truths. I wanted to realign myself and validate what I’ve presented as my truths – what I enjoy and what I aspire to do.

A few weeks ago, I received Barbara’s newsletter and noticed she had an upcoming telesummit, Dare to Soar.  I looked through the agenda which had some interesting topics and speakers.  I was particularly excited to see Barbara’s time slot!  What a pleasure it would be to hear from her real-time! I blocked off time on my calendar so I’d be available to participate.

I logged into the telesummit at the beginning and followed along throughout the day. Participants had an opportunity to chime in and ask the speakers questions, share stories and provide feedback on the activities.  Of course, I loved Barbara’s session and hearing her provide real-time advice to participants on their situations.  Everyone was excited to hear her voice and greet her.

A major highlight of the day was when I personally thanked Barbara for her body of work and let her know that she has been an inspiration. I told her about my journey with the Refuse to Choose book club and applying the lessons from her book. Her response was very warm – she thanked me and asked where my work can be found. I mentioned this site along with my Twitter account since I was tweeting about the Telesummit and using its hashtag. There were multiple contests during the day so I was thrilled to learn that I won a DVD of the WMHT Public Television show Refuse to Choose! with Barbara Sher and the hardcover edition of Barbara Sher’s book, I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was!  I received these a few days ago and can’t wait to dive in!

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Have you heard of Barbara Sher or read any of her book? How did her work inspire you? What were the key things that you learned? How did it change your outlook or life?  Share your thoughts and perspective below.  I’d love to hear from you!

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Multipotentialite Musings: Patagonia and Banff

I’m really resourceful and always find interesting pieces of information which become useful and relevant later. I can’t help it. As a multipotentialite (polymath, scanner, renaissance soul), I find topics that interest me all the time and quickly delve into them to learn more.

How do you know this stuff?! Where do you find these things?!

A good friend brought this to my attention some time ago.  On multiple occasions, we were mid-conversation when the topic triggered my memory of an article, video, a story or some fact I came across.  I usually have it saved or I can remember enough about it to dig it up quickly and share.  In those instances, my findings are useful to drive a point home, provide an example or reveal another perspective.

I like seeing how the nuggets I discover daily connect to each other and other things to tell a full story.  But I only actually share a few of these with others. Most days, I’m making sense of them in my head but I’m hoping to change this by sharing here!  Whether you’re is a friend, family member, or reader I haven’t met yet, I’m hoping these musings will add something interesting to your day!

Patagonia

I was watching an episode of HGTV’s Island Hunters, A Voyage Through the Fjords of Chilean Patagonia, with Seattle native Duane fulfilling his dream of living in the mountainous fjords of Chilean Patagonia. The last time I remember Patagonia coming up in conversation was when a friend expressed interest in backpacking there.

This led me to research Patagonia again. As described here, it is “a sparsely populated region located at the southern end of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes mountains as well as the deserts, pampas and grasslands east of this southern portion of the Andes. Patagonia has two coasts: western facing the Pacific Ocean and eastern facing the Atlantic Ocean.”

The region was originally known as a remote backpacking destination but tourism became an important part of Patagonia’s economy in the second half of the 20th century. I’m intrigued by it because it is one of the last remaining unspoiled natural areas in the world for any true adventurer.  If you love nature and truly being alone in it, you may need to add Patagonia to your bucket list!

See why it is an outdoor lover’s paradise:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZCmjCNFlEE/?tagged=patagonia

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQQfyyphK8Y/?taken-by=parquepatagonia

Banff

Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park encompasses 2,564 sq mi. of mountainous terrain, with glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. It has a subarctic climate with three ecoregions, including montane, subalpine, and alpine.

A friend recently mentioned he had been telling everyone about Banff recently.  He had conveniently forgotten that I introduced him to it a few months ago and pulled up the emails. I went back to look up when I first learned about Banff myself. It was in July 2014 when a couple from college shared photos of their wedding in there. I fell in love with the views and the majestic mountains in the background. The area is dotted with glacier-fed lakes that are a beautiful turquoise color.  Just this summer, I considered Banff as an option for the July 4th weekend but the timing was tight.

Here are some photos that capture Banff’s beauty:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BW79m0hFBlU/?taken-by=banfftown

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPYWetbBRRr/?taken-by=fairmontbanff

https://www.instagram.com/p/BY6Hl-xDdOi/?taken-by=fairmontcll

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Do you come interesting finds that capture your attention regularly? What do you do with the new information you learn? Do you regularly share it with others? How has this worked for you and your conversations with others? I’d love to hear your perspective!

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Inspiration for Multipotentialites, From Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is one of my favorite artists. Aside from admiring his amazing artwork, I enjoy learning more about him through his surviving letters. There are over 900 letters that provide insight into his mind and universe, especially those to his brother Theo. I first got insight into Van Gogh’s life when my high school art teacher gifted me the book Lust for Life by Irving Stone. This book brought me to tears, with its descriptive narration of Van Gogh’s passionate and dramatic life.

Van Gogh continues to inspire me – from his yearning to do more in life and have an impact, to his love of nature and allowing it to inspire his art and his commitment to his work.  As multipotentialites (polymaths, scanners, renaissance souls) often struggle to find their place and purpose in a society that promotes “normalcy,” I find Van Gogh’s experience and point of view relevant and inspirational.

Here are some of my favorite Van Gogh quotes to inspire multipotentialites:

On life and your purpose

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

Think of all the great accomplishments we enjoy today. Can you imagine life without these? What if no one had the courage to invent the light bulb, the internet, airplanes or cell phones? Do you want to be courageous and attempt something in your lifetime?

How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?

Have you found your purpose? Are you still seeking it? If you haven’t found it yet, don’t give up.

The way to know life is to love many things.

Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.

There is so much to experience and enjoy in life. As a multipotentialite, you experience and learn a lot by exploring your multiple interests. As you explore, you learn what resonates with you and about yourself. This is a true path of discovering your passion and igniting your motivation to pursue it relentlessly. When your heart is in your work, the outcome reflects your passion.

On challenging the status quo

I wish they would only take me as I am.

You know when you’re meant to do something other than what everyone else is doing. And being true to this and who you are is hard. You want people to get it and understand you, but the reality is, many of them won’t. You have to find peace with this and own who you are.  Don’t limit who you are and what you do to appease others.

Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.

It is easier to do what everyone else is doing – the path is already paved, there are many examples of what you should do, and you don’t have the onus of figuring things out on your own.  But when you want to be and do more, you realize growth doesn’t come from your comfort zone. Venture off the beaten track and explore.

One must work and dare if one really wants to live.

If you really want to live on your own terms and reach your full potential, you have to put in the work.

On your power

If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things.

Multipotentialites have interests in many things and purse them for a period or a lifetime. All things are connected, and due to their expansive knowledge and experience, multipotentialites are equipped to see patterns and connections.  This ability is valuable and powerful, especially for leveraging one field to improve others through innovation.

There is no blue without yellow and without orange.

We wouldn’t have what we know know if someone didn’t imagine possibilities and have the courage to act on them.  To get blue, you take two colors you know and bring them together to create something new and useful.

On taking action

I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.

By staying in motion and doing, you learn and grow.  Multipotentialites pick up new interests all the time and roll up their sleeves to learn about them. They’re not afraid to try new things and make learning an action sport.

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

Sometimes you feel like you’re never going to reach your goal. But remember that in order to accomplish that big milestone, you have to take many small steps along the way. Take them and celebrate each one to stay motivated.

On perseverance

I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.

I am still far from being what I want to be, but with God’s help I shall succeed.

Once you know what you’re working toward, your “why” will motivate you. Stay the course and trust the process. Keep putting your work into the world.  The universe will echo the vibrations you emit.

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How do you stay inspired as a multipotentialite? Do Vincent van Gogh’s quotes above resonate with you? Share your thoughts below! I’d love to hear your perspective!

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