How to Honour Yourself and Not Feel Pressured to Choose One Thing
And embrace your multi-passionate nature.
When you were young, you were probably asked:
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
You likely had an answer prepared that provided a well defined, easy to describe job title.
But then you grow up, and the question evolves into:
“What do you do?”
A question that evokes a much more complex answer. One that holds weight, sometimes judgement, is filled with emotion and can cause conflict in your soul.
Much of my adult life I’ve struggled with how to answer this question. In order to provide an honest and complete answer, a short story must be told and who has time for that?
As a result, I would often go back and forth between my many hats: woman in technology, jewelry brand co-founder, dancer, writer, community builder… but it was exhausting remembering which hat I was wearing, and I found it draining to cut myself up into so many parts.
I thought if I could find a way to bring all these parts of me together my problems would be solved.
For so long, I tried to come up with a description, a title, the perfect answer to the aforementioned question, but it seemed impossible.
Sound familiar?
It’s ironic that when we are young we are encouraged to do All The Things: play a sport, learn an instrument, volunteer, join a club. And then we grow up and we’re expected to choose a lane. To decide on one thing and go after it. To be able to describe ourselves in one sentence, or simply, by our job titles.
It’s human nature to want order, to seek familiarity, to organize and compartmentalize as we try and make sense of the world around us. At the same time, we are complex creatures who are fulfilled by seeking joy in different places.
In order for us to show up fully as ourselves, we need to embrace all parts of who we are.
We need to let go of the pressure to choose one thing and honour our multi-passionate nature.
Have compassion for yourself.
It can be a difficult practice to develop but one worth working at. You are unique, one-of-a-kind, and all of the gems you have collected on your journey make up your magic.
Take the time to acknowledge your talents, skills, and experiences.
Appreciate them not only for what they are, but for their unique combination that only exists inside you and nowhere else in the world.
Having compassion for ourselves leads to having compassion for others.
If we can hold space to explore and own our multi-dimensions, we can more readily relate to others.
It can lead to a focus on who we are, instead of what we do.
As a result, we build trust in ourselves and in our communities so that we can step into our own.
Remember that you are human.
Life is fluid, you are fluid.
We are constantly evolving into the next version of ourselves.
To think that life is static is to set yourself up for failure. Enjoy the fact that you have the freedom to explore your interests and the world around you.
Stop overthinking it.
“Clarity comes from engagement, not from thought.” — Marie Forleo
Take the time to listen to the voice inside of you and let it be your guide. Too often we get overly focused on the output without considering the process.
If you’re ready to embrace multiple passions, remember that they come from a place of love and connection.
They are born from a “why” within yourself that is calling you to fulfill your purpose.
Embrace curiosity as a skill.
Not a curse.
Curiosity leads to creativity which allows you to express who you truly are.
I believe self expression is critical to our wellbeing: self expression is self care.
Allow curiosity to guide you as you continue to learn about yourself and the world around you.
Drop the expectations.
When I speak with other multi-passionate professionals, they often start by asking how I can help them create content consistently, grow their social media following, or increase their sales.
But not every side hustle has to generate revenue.
Take the pressure off and remember why you started your passion project in the first place. Instead of implementing metrics, focus on showing up consistently for yourself and your creativity. The likes, follows, and shares will come.
Stop comparing yourself to others.
There is a lot happening out there in the world and more than ever we are reminded of what we’re not doing each and every day. It is important to stop scrolling, shut down your devices, and reflect on all the wonderful thing that make you you. Go ahead, write them down.
Don’t compromise your wellbeing.
Many of us are owning a multi-passionate life, but how well are we doing at balancing so many things at once? It’s important to honour your desire not to choose one thing while not impacting your mental and physical wellbeing. Like any type of work, remember to take breaks and enjoy a day off.
Give yourself grace.
After all, being multi-passionate doesn’t mean multi-perfectionist. It is about embracing your humanity, your curiosity, and your creativity — and living your life completely and unapologetically as yourself.
