I love this TED talk by Emilie Wapnick. If only I had been in the same class as her at school. Better still, what if some of my teachers or employers over the last 45 years had subscribed to this? When I was 30 my British Telecom Manager told me if I changed job one more time no-one would ever take me seriously again. Since then I have worked for and with well over a hundred different organisations.

Finally there is a name for my ongoing experience of life (and for that of a lot of my old schoolfriends). Some of us have just never been satisfied to pursue one career path, never mind a single leisure activity or hobby. Now we not only have a ‘name’ for what we experience but more importantly, approval.

I LOVE the fact that these days I find myself painting a portrait one day and going to a scoial work conference the next, or being inspired to write a performance poem after taking the dog for a walk and then seeing a hypnotherapy client with a weirdass anxiety pattern that stretches my therapy skills to breaking point.

In the last 12 months I have not only painted pictures I really love, I also ran a ten day NLP programme for social workers, continued to look after and develop our two foster kids, as well as being dad to our own three, made several videos for my youtube channel, including one on how to make Bouillabaisse from ingredients found on a storm beach whilst wearing one of my wife’s dresses, delivered a performance poem about a goose, completely redecorated our en suite bathroom and ranted at several headteachers.

I totally get that some people want to focus on one thing and become brilliant at it but I am so glad that I can now finally stop feeling like a failure simply because such a singular focus has always bored the crap out of me. It’s great that we can coexist, specialist and multipotentialites together.

For me what is even more exciting is what Emilie has to say about the genesis of creativity and innovation lying at the intersection between one field of interest and another. As someone who is fascinated by neuroscientific discoveries and the ongoing vindication  of modalities such as NLP, Win Wnger’s accelerated learning, Tony Buzan’s mind maps, Dominic O’Brien’s memory techniques and the concept of drawing learning out from within ourselves rather than being ‘taught’, this video is a vindication of everything I have come to know as true, through my own experience, about the creative process.

To the consultant who once told me I would never get anywhere unless I focused on one thing I have this to say. I never wanted to get anywhere. I aspire to to be everywhere.

Viva la difference!