What can I say? I know what I would love to say “I am a multi talented person”.. The reality is “I am a multi interests person”. Whatever it means!
I can explait though! I love learning.. about everything and anything (well, not any, but a lot)! And I get bored as soon as the right combination of challenge and interest isn’t met (which usually happens quite quickly). At the end of the day, I become a person who is always starting to learn a new skill and has a HUGE set of “to learn” ones.
To sum up, and has the Zen Tech Girl Manifest states, everything is always a Work In Progress.. We are the sum of our talents and what we’ve learned subtracted by the things we’ve already let go in life. For me, my bag is always getting new things in it which has amazing great benefits and cons as well (Obviously).
If you’re anything like me, I’m guessing you can identify with the following benefits:
- Social – You get to know new and great people in each new skill you learn. Moreover, for any new random person that crosses your path, there is a great chance you can talk their language
- Friends – People come to you to know about your new adventures. You’re also the first go-to to know where they could learn A, B or C (whether or not it is related with the courses or interests you have)
- Unique CV – You start putting it all together in one pretty unique set, and can imagine the things you’ll be able to create and learn as soon as you get the next one
As with everything, because balance rules, these benefits aren’t without some Cons:
- Talking about you – Whether it is effectively talking or blogging, it isn’t easy to say who you are or to understand / list what you love and know. Blogging becomes even more complex since most people tell you to focus on a subject and pick a “niche”. This goes against what we are and believe right? Why would I left everyone else out? Moreover, how would you be able to pick one single subject above any other?
- Professional – you might have professional training in an area, but most of your free time is probably tied up in hobbies that change as the seasons do. At some point you start questioning whether all the time you’re putting into your interests isnt a synonim of what you really like to do and an escape to your job. Shouldn’t you somehow try to make a living (or at least share) of your interests and knowledge?
- Planning it all / Interest OverFlow – At some point (or lots of points) you’ll get overwhelmed with the amount of things you want to learn and the real amount of time you have. You get between deepening your knowledge in a subject and learning new ones. At some point I was doing 3 different anual weekend courses, sometimes skiping an afternoon of a course to go to the other one. All this while living in Istambul and taking the courses in Lisbon. It was crazy and as I am writing this I am still wondering exactly how I pulled it off. Well, I actually didn’t – after 3 months I had to quit 2 of those courses and focus on one alone.
Anyway… Here follow my interests (the ones not related with my techie part):
- Macrobiotics – This is such a BROAD subject when you really understand it. I will not go into it now. However, if you want to know more about it, I’m on my last year of this 3-year Macrobiotic course.
- Yoga – probably the most stable of interests – the one that keeps pushing me and challenging no matter how long I have been doing it
- Micro-Macrame – I’ve started to learn somewhere in March and I am very proud of the things I’ve managed to make myself
- Photography – although for the past months I havent felt the urge to take any. Plus, I see this one as a facilitator for others or something that I only do if I really really feel like it
- Drawing – I’ve started to learn it.. but I lost the book from where I was learning.. I believe it was a sign to learn it either later or a different way
- Aerial Yoga- Also frozen at this time. I learned it and practiced it for awhile, which was pretty awesome.
- Hula Hoop – Same as Aerial Yoga 🙂
- Sewing – I’ve started it a couple of years ago and loved it!!! Am waiting to move to a bigger place to restart it and am hoping to start making my own clothes (which isn’t cheaper but much more environment friendly – and more me as well! 🙂 )
- Croche and Tricot – well.. this are skills I’ve wanted to learn for a awhile.. Hopefully this winter I will focus on them
- Personal Lifestyle Design – how to do and learn it all, maintaing a good internal balance. This topic includes (or is an equivalent to) Coaching
- Reading and Movies – the things that I love to do a rainy and
- … And more and more… will be updating this neverending list
What about you, which is your neverending list? Are there any benefits or cons you would move up to the top 3 list above? Let me know all about it – looking for people who go through this as I am… Maybe (and just maybe) they are my niche :p
