Emilie Wapnick

Flew through the audiobook (only 5 hours), but could not stop listening. So much great content in here, I'm definitely going to be buying the physical book soon and re-reading this one so I can highlight and take notes in the book. I first saw Emilie's Ted talk on this topic and when I found out she wrote a book on it, I definitely had to get my hands on it immediately, so I requested the audiobook from my library and luckily I could get it right away.

I really liked her explanation of the different approaches to being multipotentialite; I think I'm a hybrid of the Phoenix and slasher and I like her tips for productivity and combatting certain mindsets like the imposter syndrome, which is one I struggle with a lot.

I also loved how this book explains so perfectly why I've never been able to vision myself in one job/career for my entire life, even when it's something I love, like being a writer. I get bored quickly and I need change/variety. I loved this book and I definitely recommend to anyone who has multiple passions/interests and aren't sure what to do.… (plus d'informations)

A couple years ago I stumbled across Emilie Wapnick's TED talk -- "Why some of us don't have one true calling" -- and I felt like I'd found a soul mate. In that presentation, Wapnick talks about how she had a life-long pattern of getting very deep into a subject and then eventually losing interest. Repeatedly. She thought there was something wrong with her.

I've gone through the same struggle in my life and felt as if there was something wrong with me. I bounced from the Marines to hospital work to college/graduate school, teaching, retail management, marketing, library work, massage therapy, et. al. Luckily for me, I had a father who was interested in a variety of things who modeled taking the time to pursue those interests, so I didn't feel like a complete alien. I can still hear my dad and his sister, one of my favorite aunts, laughing about how they hadn't figured out what they wanted to be when they grew up. They were in their 40s then. However, both my dad and my aunt were gainfully employed and I, back then, sometimes worried about my ability to support myself.

In 2007 I took Tom Rath's Strength Finder test and my top strength was learning, which, according to his definition, means I'm more interested in the process of learning than in outcomes. No surprise there. That helped me feel better about my jumping around on the career stage. I've also come to see how skills gained at one job or area of interest have helped me in subsequent jobs or interests.

However, it was seeing Wapnick's TED Talk that helped me let go of my worries and actually embrace the fact that I don't have one true calling when it comes to career. All that I've done thus far has been awesome--it's fed my soul (well, not everything did that), advanced my knowledge and skills, and helped me make great connections with people. She gave me the freedom to let go of some of the shame I'd been carrying around about not completing programs, staying in jobs for way too long, and interests that I once proclaimed were IT that fizzled out.

I jumped at the chance to review Wapnick's new book, How to Be Everything: A Guide For Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want To Be When They Grow Up, for TLC Book Tours and now available from HarperOne.

The book has three parts:

Part I: Everything? Welcome to the Tribe. This section is all about giving consolation and encouragement to world-weary multipotentialites, Emilie's word for those who have multiple interests and creative pursuits. There's nothing wrong with you! She goes over the strengths of being a multipotentialite and offers advice on how to live a happy life balancing money, meaning, and variety.

Part II: The Four Multipotentialite Work Models. Different Strokes for Different Folks. Wapnick has found that there are four major ways multipotentialites work and offers strategies on how to figure out what your style is and how to best work it/them. Fascinating perspectives that will give you insight into yourself and how you might work most effectively.

Part III: Common Multipotentialite Stumbling Blocks. Slaying Your Dragons. This section was the most interesting to me because it's where I am now. I'm working on my personal productivity system, embracing all the things that make me unique, and gaining confidence in my choices. Wapnick offers advice on how to talk with people in various contexts about your multipotentialite life. This section is helpful for me and I think it would be INCREDIBLY helpful for younger folks just starting out on their journey or those who are embracing their various passions for the first time, no matter what their age.

Wapnick's ideas as presented in her TED Talk were a big part of my decision last year to jump into entrepreneurship with my wife Laura. She's a personal coach and we're taking her in-person workshops and transitioning them into online classes. My love of learning, teaching experience, customer service skills, and marketing background, among other things, are all coming into play. It's been a fun and challenging year and Wapnick's book is full of hope and helpful tips for the work I'm doing with our business and my own projects. All of Wapnick's advice is geared toward helping multipotentialites enjoy the work they're doing and the life they're living. This is a book I'll read again and dip into here and there for reminders.

Graduation season is here and this would be a great gift for the high school or college graduate in your life. I wish I'd had a book like this when I was in my 20s. It would've saved me from a lot of worry, self-flagellation, and sticking around in programs/jobs for too long. The way our business world is changing--relying on and rewarding people who are adaptable and well-versed in a variety of fields--this could be a success manual for those who aren't satisfied being specialists in one field.

This review originally posted on my blog at http://www.wildmoobooks.com/2017/05/what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up.html… (plus d'informations)

Modern culture sometimes has hard-to-shake core beliefs. The social mores tend to suggest that workers specialize (or sub-specialize) in one thing. We expect people to define themselves by their work, and their work must consist of one main task or calling. That’s easy for people who are good at only one thing or favor/enjoy only one thing.

However, some of us have trouble fitting into that mold. We do multiple things well and enjoy the variety. Specialization can seem like an albatross around our necks instead of a stable source of happiness. Few resources exist for this personality and career type. Career counselors do not often suggest this path when people plan their lives. Yet as Wapnick describes in this book (and my life exemplifies), a multifaceted career path can lead to happiness, financial stability, and interesting products.

Being unusual is tough. People often describe me as “brilliant,” but don’t see how traditional roles usually lead me to dead ends. They idealize “the road less travelled,” but don’t see how difficult it sometimes is. Wapnick writes for audiences just like me. I develop software and lead a community of users at work, read books and write reviews as a hobby, teach and coordinate a impactful Sunday School class, and engage in interesting play with my family. And like Wapnick, I’m happy the way I am, thank you.

Her book is broken up into three main parts. The first part describes what a “multipotentialite” is – someone who has multiple talents or does multiple things well. Tradition has described this path in many ways, including genius, polymath, jack of all trades but master of none, among others. The second part describes different ways that people have pursued this lifestyle. Key aspects are how much variety is needed in a week and how sequentially versus simultaneously one pursues various interests. She then describes several successful strategies people have historically taken to express themselves. Finally, the last part consists of more of a self-help handbook for this personality type. Living as a multipotentialite in a world where so many people define themselves by just one thing can be difficult. Wapnick offers some helpful suggestions she’s learned along the way.

This book seems to help a need in an original way. Few books address this topic and focus on financial stability along with personal happiness, like Wapnick does. Central is redefining one’s understanding of career. This book is practical and focused on those of us who live a bit differently than the rest. It also should receive an audience with career counselors, human resource professionals, and career mentors to understand differences in people. Those groups are specific niches, but they are successfully filled in this examination about how being multiple and plural can actually aid one through life.… (plus d'informations)