You might be a polymath if you don’t know what your passion is

Growing up we’re asked “what do you want to be?” We’re told to find our passion very early on in life.

Many people struggle with this idea because they’re unsure what they like. They either change their minds too frequently or they enjoy doing too many things.

I’m here to tell you that we’ve been lied to and it’s okay to have several interests, practice different disciplines, and work on many different skills.

In the early 20th century, it was normal — even encouraged — to have more than one interest. This is the period where the phrase “renaissance man” was first coined.

Today, our schooling system and culture doesn’t allow for people with more than one interest to flourish. Instead, people who are passionate about multiple things get confused.

They see really successful people thriving on their one, singular passion. Every success story we’re told is about people who were really focused on and good at one thing.

Here’s a few successful and brilliant polymaths:

Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, inventor, sculptor, architect, mathematician, engineer, cartographer, botanist, and writer.

Benjamin Franklin was a writer, politician, scientist, statesman, freemason, printer, inventor, avid chess player, and violinist.

Do some searching and you’ll find many more celebrated polymaths from the early 20th century.

So what I encourage you to do is to embrace all of your interests.

Don’t allow yourself to become pigeon-holed. Just because your friends, colleagues or family know you as the “wine-guy” or “fitness-woman”, it doesn’t mean you can’t proudly share your love of archery, philosophy, poetry, military strategy, salsa dancing, rock skipping, video games, kite flying, mountain biking, or whatever.

Your interests don’t need to be related or overlap.

Your career/end-game for success can contain several different interests and passions that you may have.

Embrace the polymath spirit and make time for all of your passions and interests. Variety is indeed the spice of life.