Do You Need to Choose Between Your Different Passions?

Today, I’d like to encourage you to entertain the possibility that you may have different passions and purposes (check out my article for the difference between passion and purpose).

Often, people get caught up in the idea of finding The One. The One Perfect Passion. (On a related note: I’ve previously written about the danger of idealizing passion.)

But, the truth is that your relationship with your passion and purpose doesn’t have to be a monogamous affair. 💞 You absolutely can "cheat" on your passion!

Just because you love writing (passion #1) and care about saving the environment (purpose #1) doesn’t mean that you can’t also love to play chess (passion #2) and world peace (purpose #2). It all comes down to…

Some people are specialists who have a sort of tunnel vision when it comes to their passion. Actor Johnny Galecki’s quote accurately describes how this group experiences passion:

“It’s that one thing that you’re passionate about, that you end up developing tunnel vision for and everything else tends to fall by the wayside. Passion is appealing and universal.”

And, let’s just say not everyone experiences tunnel vision. Some people are more prone to… roving eye syndrome when it comes to their passion and purpose. For them, the idea of focusing on one thing, and one thing only, sounds like hell (or at least, purgatory). 🔥

Broadly speaking, when it comes to passion and purpose we can differentiate between…

I first learned about this distinction from author Barbara Sher who uses the terms Divers (specialists) and Scanners (generalists) to describe these groups of people.

Divers are passionate about one thing and can get totally absorbed in it, whereas Scanners have multiple passions.

While different authors use different terms to describe Scanners (for instance, multi-passionate people, polymaths, or Renaissance people), what matters is to identify which type you are.

For Scanners, discovering one’s personality type is typically a great relief.

For instance, in his article about being a scanner , Sebastian Martin writes about how helpful it was for him to discover this concept: “Ultimately, I’m now much more at ease with my ideas.”

While both Divers and Scanners can have a fulfilling, successful life and career, getting to this place can be more challenging if you fall into the second category. Because our culture tends to value specialists, it’s important for generalists to learn to accept and embrace who they are.

To this end, it can be helpful to read about multi-passionate role models, such as Leonardo Da Vinci.

With all that being said, let's move on to...

Grab a pen and paper. 📝Then, take a moment to go through the following process.

(If you want to get the most out of this or if you're afraid of getting stuck, get the "Taking Action Worksheets" and begin by filling those out.)

• What are some things that you feel passionate about/that you love to do?
  This might be a somewhat eclectic list. For instance: "I love writing fiction. I love teaching people. I love martial arts. I love doing music. I love learning new things. I love creating something new. I feel passionate about everything related to leadership and to self-growth."
  
  
• Is it possible to combine some of these passions?
  For instance: "Definitely. S ome of these already overlap. For example, when I go to martial arts classes, I learn a lot of new things. W hen I teach people something, I typically learn something new and I'm also creating something new. I could even decide to make my teachings about leadership and/or self-growth and it immediately combines a number of different things I care about."
  
  
• For the next month, pick one passion or combination of passions that will be your main focus
  For instance: "Since this combines so many of my passions, I think I'll focus on teaching people about leadership."
  
  
• Decide what you will do with your other passions during the next month
  You could decide to not pursue them at all, to pursue them casually, or anything else that does not interfere with the main focus you picked. For instance: " Well, I'll continue going to martial arts classes since it's my hobby anyway. And I'll write some fiction in my free time when I feel like it, perhaps instead of watching Netflix. In terms of music, I don't feel like practicing right now so I think I'll just listen to music whenever I feel like it."
  
  
• Schedule time in your calendar for your main focus
  Look at the month ahead and decide when you'll pursue your main focus. For instance: "I think I can set aside 2 hours each weekend to create a course where I'd teach people about leadership."
  

If you notice yourself getting stuck in the search for your one true calling, give yourself some breathing space by entertaining the possibility that you might have different passions  — and that that’s okay!

You might also be interested in my article about how to choose a career when you have many passions.