How Being Multi-passionate Can Be a Curse

I always bragged about being multi-passionate like it was a badge of honor. I use to proclaim all my passions on top of my Instagram, attempting to weave them all together in some spectacular new travel-personal trainer-yoga-mindset coach-English teacher-photographer-guru lol. No wonder I was feeling overwhelm and such a lack of clarity! It’s funny now when I look back at how indecisive I was this past year.

Am I passionate about all those things? Yes. I absolutely adore each and every one of them to my core. They are a part of me. But my enormous passion for so many things became my biggest weakness. I spent a whole year of my life researching different industries, signing up for new email lists, creating new goals, and writing blogs that had no relation to any of my other blogs. After all that, how much solid progress did I make on the actual “business” I want to create? Not much.

FOMO & MSS

Many of us have FOMO, fear of missing out. We see someone else making a living and killing it doing something we love. Then we think, “Hey, I could do that and be super happy and successful like them too!” So then we add something to the mix before we are really ready. I’ve heard this sometimes referred to as the ‘shiny object syndrome’.

The perfect combination of loving so many things and FOMO and can lead to what I call Multi-passionate Saboteur Syndrome. You have many passion projects and ideas running through your head. Sometimes you get a bit overwhelmed from it all or don’t know where to start. For me, lack of focus and commitment to creating just ONE THING, resulted in not much progress in anything.

My MSS crippled my results over the past year. Yes I bought a fancy camera and took many pictures. Yes I wrote 15 blogs. Yes I photographed 2 events. Yes I taught many yoga classes. Yes I prepped and created systems for mindset coaching. Yes I taught English and did some private tutoring. But where has it gotten me? I was left with a lack of clarity for my bigger picture and future business.

Entrepreneur vs. Soloprenuer

Now I’m not saying it’s wrong to pursue multiple careers or businesses at the same time. That’s what entrepreneurship is all about! I admire entrepreneurs for their savvy business skills and passionate work ethic. However I have to be real with myself. Trying to be an entrepreneur was leading to little return for me.

I recently heard the less popular term, Soloprenuer. That’s totally me! It’s not easy to admit but I needed to take a step back and focus on just one thing at a time. Perhaps after I master one thing, I will move on the something else. Only time will tell.

I Am a Photographer

It’s taken me a while to actually call myself a photographer. Up until now, I would still introduce myself as an English teach, or personal trainer, or yoga teacher when people asked what I do. I couldn’t pick just one thing. I wasn’t ready to fully commit to my true purpose and also didn’t feel worthy of calling myself a photographer yet. But that crazy limited thinking has seriously held me back from making real progress in my craft.

It actually took an entire DECADE of trying different jobs and even starting my own business to figure all this out. I have worked at 24 different places! This use to be embarrassing to admit, but now I’m grateful for changing my mind so many times. Through this experience I have grown to be super selective about who I choose to work with and what I choose to do with my life. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve finally reached a tipping point of real clarity. I can only imagine how much I will grow moving forward with ONE focus on my mind.

FOCUS = Follow One Course Until Success

I learned this phrase from John Lee Dumas on his podcast, Entrepreneur on Fire. I always said that phrase but never lived it. Until now. I’ve finally picked ONE THING. Today is the beginning of the rest of my life! That may sound a bit dramatic, but it’s the truth. Choosing just one thing to focus on ignites my entire being with so much hunger, enthusiasm, satisfaction, and euphoria! One thing feels just right.