I've learnt something new. Rather, I've discovered that there is a term that describes an integral part of who I am— multi-passionate, also known as a scanner type personality.
My online research tells me that scanners are people who like to explore everything and try out many different things. They approach a wide range of activities with passion and energy. Although, they often don't keep at the said activities for longer than a few days or weeks at a time.
So, why am I sharing this tidbit of personal insight with you? Our Reality Wellness theme for this month was around passion. I found that most books, blog posts and quotes emphasise the importance of finding your one true "passion". They offer insights and recommendations around how one should build their career or life purpose around chasing this one passion.
I don't have one passion. I genuinely can't put my finger on "only" one idea, concept or cause that drives me. Now, when most of the literature is punting the importance of just one passion, you begin to doubt yourself a little – wandering why you aren't the norm.
Luckily, Google came to the rescue, and I discovered that I am my own kind of normal. Furthermore, there are must be a fair amount of people like me – to have coined the term multi-passionate.
The point of this post is not to share my new insights into the scanner personality type (although if the concept resonates with you, you should look it up), but rather to caution you against trying to fit the mould of what we think is "the average" or "normal".
Nowadays, with the volume and availability of information, it's far too easy to be drawn into the comparison trap. Approach your online reading, in particular, with a little cynism. I encourage you to look for guidelines as opposed to explicit instructions. Seek out inspiration and a breadth of perspectives that facilitate self-reflection, but don't rigidly apply them.