I’ve been brewing this post for too long now. It’s been more than two years since I encountered this new concept (which has multiple names: Scanner, Multipotentialite, Renaissance Soul) and have been too thrilled and excited to put it into words!
It all started when I was sent this video:
That’s right: why some of us (by the way – I am one of these people) don’t have one true calling!
I got on and on around this concept and eventually landed on Barbara Sher work (she was amazing) and her great book: “Refuse To Choose”. This book is so amazing – to me – that I already offered it to friends around me. The main thing, besides explaining the whole concept and struggles I am too familiar with, is that it explains a set of techniques to cope and flourish as a Scanner person:
My search for meaning
For the past years I’ve been desperately searching for my true calling, my path, my destiny, the “thing” that – once I find it – will suck me in and make me happy. You know : the “work in what you love and you won’t have to work another day in your life” kind of thing.
During these years I went to trips, conferences, took courses, read and learned as much as could by different religions, spitirualities, philosophies, … I had SO MANY people telling me “you know, no one comes into this world to work with computers”. This made some sense to me – so I convinced myself that I had to search more.
What it means to be a Scanner
The problem is: I always ended up with a computer in front of me (no matter what).
The other problem is: no matter how hard I tried (or stopped trying) I kept going in turns into a vicious cycle:
- Find new interest / like / hobby
- Get passionate about said new interest
- Get REALLYYY passionate about said new interest ( this point usually involved enrolling in a new course, doing some sort of certification, learning as much as I could about it)
- Get bored and lose interest AND / OR go back to 1.
The new interest could come in any stage though and could (as with any new passion) take over real quickly. The new passion didn’t care if I was in the middle of a three year certification or if I was on my way to quitting my job. It just came in and took over.
There were also periods where I’d just do my regular job (yes, most of the time I still held to my job as a geeky computer person) and go out, be with friends, and by default feel without a purpose. Until.. I read a book, watched a given play, learned about this new thing that would swoop me off my feet again.
Some cons that come with being a Scanner
In the meanwhile, the people around me just thought I was crazy. Since I had my one regular job no one reallyyyy cared too much about it but .. I was still crazy.
Being perceived as a quitter: every time I got bored (it usually / eventually happens) I left what I was doing. This was perceived as quitting. To me – it was more like not wanting to waste more energy on something I already got what I wanted to get.
As an amazing side effect though: I got to know so many cool people from all sorts of occupations, areas, places, …
Stay tuned for more posts on cons and pros (Emily Wapnick calls them super powers) of being a scanner , how to navigate these and still have a life where you’re happy and have fun !!
Had you heard about this concept of a scanner? Does it resonate with you?
2 comments
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Yesssss 😀 Cool TED Talk! Specially hard when you have a partner who is a totally focused person and knows exactly what he wants to do with HIS life. It’s easy to get lost in the multitude of choices nowadays. I also like the “Paradox of Choice” Ted Talk.