February 6, 2018

TED Talk Tuesday #49: Why some of us don’t have one true calling

Watching TED Talks is a popular pastime at CN&CO. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. This week’s talk was selected by CN&COer Emi Adriano. Here’s why she chose it:

One of my worst questions to be asked is, “what do you want to be when you grow up” for two reasons:

  1. I never had a clear answer or sense of direct
  2. I never wanted to provide an answer that was generic or predictable

I’ve never really been a fan of the idea that I HAVE to be one thing my whole life. The problem has never been that I didn’t have enough interests or pathways I wanted to navigate, the problem was that I had too many, and having to pick one will simply be self sabotage.

Emilie Wapnick in her TED Talk speaks about what it means to be a “multipotentialite” – a person with many creative pursuits and interests and the superpowers that come with being this type of individual.

Working in the type of business we do, we are encouraged to exercise our “multipotentialiteness”. We are all challenged with the task of being creative, out of the box thinkers that can morph ourselves into different forms and take on different projects and challenges that acquire different skills.

It is rarely a waste of time to pursue something you are interested in. Even if it fails, the knowledge you acquire can be applied to multiple different circumstances and adaptability is crucial. As Emilie Wapnick says, “embrace your inner wire wherever you may be.”