on passion

The concept of being "multi-passionate" has been tumbling around my brain for months.

It all started in the fall of this year. I had just had an amazing summer exploring the East Coast. We were settling into our new city and adventuring to nearby seaside towns. Between this 'tucket and bunkport and that beach and this lighthouse, I started to soften into the flow of our new life.

Once the dust settled and the very last grains of sand that we had accidentally brought home were swept up, Ry went to work and I was left to do whatever the heck I wanted. I quickly learned that the courses I was enrolled in lacked a social element. I missed being around people all day.

An email appeared in my inbox, recruiting me for a cool brand I'd vaguely heard of. I replied, thinking it could be just what I needed.

I sailed through a series of interviews, all quite standard. In one of the final rounds, a person from the head office asked me, "So what is it you are passionate about exactly? It sounds like you are involved in a lot," referring to my professional description that had things like interior design, yoga, writing, and retail leadership all bopping around together.

I picked up on more than a fair bit of skepticism in the very valid question. I had done my research on this person and their path seemed very linear whereas mine is kind of curvy. Instead of pandering to what I thought they wanted to hear, "I am hyper-focused and passionate about retail!", I told them the truth. (Something about being approached for a role rather than seeking it out made me a touch more brazen than usual).

"I am a multifaceted human and with that comes being multi-passionate."

I went on to describe why I had so many interests. I explained that although I was multi-passionate, I was not unfocused. I saw no reason why being experienced in other things would detract from the role, especially given my fifteen years experience in the industry at hand.

What I kind of wish I had done was go on to list all the transferrable skills, but I think I was feeling a little taken aback. I wish I had went on to say, “Leading a retail team is similar to leading a group of students through a yoga class. Both require people centric skills, how to create and hold space, and empathy. Learning how to design an interior space thoughtfully uses the same skills as building a year long initiatives plan, both require forethought, taking calculated risks, and being creative.”

(Sometimes the better answer only comes up later, in the shower while you’re washing your hair and being hard on yourself).

I was met with a head tilt and a choppy transition to another question.

I've replayed that interaction more than a few times in my mind because it continues to baffle me. I spent years interviewing candidates and leading the hiring process and one of the main indicators that someone would be a culture add is if they are passionate about things outside of work. Enthusiasm is contagious. I once hired someone because he lit up with excitement when he told me about an app he was building. I could tell this person liked to challenge himself, solve problems, and had multiple interests. If people are fulfilled and passionate outside of work, guess what? That passion will spill into their work, their energy, and into the workplace. In my experience, I have found that people who tend to be ambitious outside of work are often more fulfilled overall.

By having a few different irons in the fire, we can ensure that there’s always something to keep us warm. We can be energized by more than one thing. By working on a couple of different projects, using different parts of ourselves, we spare ourselves from growing bored — or worse, resentful.

(Needless to say, very soon after landing the role I realized it was not the right fit for me).

Another angle to consider: the word "passion" can be loaded for some people. Why do we have to be passionate anyways? What if we are just skilled at something and know how to monetize it? Do we put too much pressure on our careers to fulfil us?

On the flip side, what if you are not particularly passionate about anything?

Author Terri Trespicio boldly says, “stop searching for your passion!” She starts to redefine passion as the place where your energy and effort meet someone else's need. She says by being generous and helping to solve a problem, passion will show up when you realize you have something to contribute. She highlights that passion is a feeling, and feelings change. By living a life of meaning, you don't follow your passion, your passion follows you. I find her TED Talk interesting because it challenges me and asks me to think differently as someone who is just generally quite passionate.

I recently posted a poll, simplifying the multi-passionate debate I was having in my own head into one question:

Would you rather be an absolute expert in one subject or know a little about a lot?

29% of people answered absolute expert in one area and 71% answered a little bit knowledgeable in a breadth of areas. My husband was in the opposite camp as me. To me, he feels like a little bit of an exception to some nameless universal rule, a bit of a unicorn. He has known what he wanted to do since he was five years old. He’s laser focused. It’s one of the many differences that make us a well rounded pair.

I usually like to have a main thing and then fifty two side things. I want them to change and grow with me. I usually know I am doing the right thing by:

a) how fulfilled I feel

b) how much I am learning and growing

and

c) how many head tilts I get

So whether you find your passion, or you let your passion find you, do your thing. It can be pizza or physics. It can be bird watching or breath work.

Just do your thing(s),

ty

PS — check out Terri Trespicio’s TED Talk to contemplate the concept of passion for yourself