MULTIPOTENTIALITE

Skirt and Shirt: Vestique, Shoes: ADIDAS, Bag: Chloe, Necklace: Alex + Ani

I wanted to write today about potential.
I wanted to remind someone out there (or maybe just myself) that if you want... you can do "all of the things".

Maybe not all at once, and maybe not every day. Maybe you won't be the best who has ever done it. Maybe what you decide to do today, or who you decide to be, or what you decide to try, is not what you will want to do/be/ try tomorrow, but... YOU HAVE OPTIONS.

There are some people who, from the time they are born, know EXACTLY what they want to be. They were given a gift, like, Serena Williams. That woman was BORN to play tennis. She has a God-given gift. She took that gift and worked harder than anyone else around her, and she made it to the top. Some people just know.

Those people, the ones who just know... they have a single field of interest and run like hell with it forever and ever. Those are called "specialists". The rest of us, the vast majority of us, try things on at different points in our life. We "wear different hats" and then take them off when they no longer serve us.

When you decide a college major at 18-20 years old what do you really know? You're placing a bet on the fact that what you are interested in at 18, you'll still want to do when you are 59. What are the odds of that? Slim at best. Or... how many of us stick to a decision we made a long time ago because we think we must? Or are embarrassed to be seen changing our minds? Or are afraid of letting people down? Afraid of being seen as fickle.

We have heard people described as "Jacks/Janes of all trades, masters of none" and that's usually said in a derogatory manner. As if you can't be good at something unless it is your single, solitary focus.

I disagree. Maybe you won't be Serena Williams, but does that mean you should not play tennis on the weekends? Hell no it doesn't. Play tennis, be a certified public accountant, parent of 3, stamp collector, comic book illustrator, and learn a second language while you are at it.

You are a human being with a ridiculous, miraculous, brain and you are capable of SO MUCH that is is mind-blowing!

Please allow me to remind you you that LIFE.IS.SO.SHORT and NONE of us make it out alive. So... you should explore things that you are interested in. Be a beginner. Try things on for size. Fail. Fall. Rise. Then do it all over again.

Where has all of this come from? Well... I have been gossiped about, and it has gotten back to me. Something was said that was similar to...

"What is she anyway? Is she a recruiter? Is she a Pilates teacher? Does she still have her Rodan + Fields business? Is she a blogger? I saw her post something about hair. Does she sell hair care? Does she take pictures? Is she an artist now???? She is confusing her audience and muddying up her brand."

WHAT????

I probably don't have to clarify this, but that previous statement was said with venom. It was said with disdain. It was said with anger. It was not said with any genuine concern for my well-being.

When it first got back to me I was taken-a-back. A little bit hurt (if I'm being honest). And wondered, for a split second, if I should be embarrassed?? Then.... it hit me. UMMM...

NO. AbsolutelyFKNNOT.

This was said by someone who who is "not my people". Plain and simple. My people are people who are loving, supportive, open, full of interests and experiences, and most of them are MULTIPOTENTIALITES. Never heard that term before? Allow me to introduce Wikipedia:

Multipotentiality is an educational and psychological term referring to the ability and preference of a person, particularly one of strong intellectual or artistic curiosity, to excel in two or more different fields. It can also refer to an individual whose interests span multiple fields or areas, rather than being strong in just one. By contrast, those whose interests lie mostly within a single field are called "specialists."

Neither (multipotentialite nor specialist) is better or worse, but they can't be judged the same. They are apples and oranges.

I've noticed that sometimes people with a singular area of focus tend to judge those who have many. Especially if you are doing what they are doing (and then some). The person who was shit-talking about me does one of the things I do. It's her life. It's her job. She is very concerned with curating her image on social media. She sells to people online. That is where we differ. I use social media to share what I am doing, what I am interested in, what I like, what I use, and to keep an album of memories that I want to hold on to. If you like it, comment on it, buy it, support it, cool.

Truth: I don't give a shit if I am "muddying up my brand" because the people who are attracted to me (whether that be as friends, business partners, or Pilates students) are drawn to me, for me. And all of those things are authentically me. If I do have a brand I would argue that it is not muddy at all.

It is about self-love. Mind. Body. Spirit. It is about creativity and self-care. The inside and out.
The End.

If I confuse you. If I bother you. If I "make your head spin". Take a seat (somewhere else, please). You do not have to follow me, you do not have to support me, you do not have to understand me, you do not have to "get it", and LAWD KNOWS you do not have to like it (or me). It has taken me 38.5 years to really feel that in my bones, but I do now.

So... if there is ANYONE out there afraid to change, afraid to evolve, afraid to grow, to shed dead weight, to take the road less traveled, to share something new. Don't be. DO IT. PLEASE, DO IT.

The world needs more people who have truly COME ALIVE. Less perfectly curated images of perfection and more clumsy attempts at happiness and fulfillment. You are not one thing and neither and I. And the beauty of being talked shit about (because it is inevitable as you grow) is that people who are not your people will eventually just weed themselves out. It's cool. You'll survive.

I AM MANY, MANY THINGS and (I'd be willing to bet) SO ARE YOU.