How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up

by Emilie Wapnick

What do you want to be when you grow up? It's a familiar question we're all asked as kids. While seemingly harmless, the question has unintended consequences. It can make you feel like you need to choose one job, one passion, one thing to be about. Guess what? You don't.

Having a lot of different interests, projects and curiosities doesn't make you a "jack-of-all-trades, master of none." Your endless curiosity doesn't mean you are broken or flaky. What you are is a multipotentialite: someone with many interests and creative pursuits. And that is actually your biggest strength.

How to Be Everything helps you channel your diverse passions and skills to work for you. Based on her popular TED talk, "Why some of us don't have one true calling", Emilie Wapnick flips the script on conventional career advice. Instead of suggesting that you specialize, choose a niche or accumulate 10,000 hours of practice in a single area, Wapnick provides a practical framework for building a sustainable life around ALL of your passions.
You'll discover:
•  Why your multipotentiality is your biggest strength, especially in today's uncertain job market.
•  How to make a living and structure your work if you have many skills and interests.
•  How to focus on multiple projects and make progress on all of them.
•  How to handle common insecurities such as the fear of not being the best, the guilt associated with losing interest in something you used to love and the challenge of explaining "what you do" to others.
 
Not fitting neatly into a box can be a beautiful thing. How to Be Everything teaches you how to design a life, at any age and stage of your career, that allows you to be fully you, and find the kind of work you'll love.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Development, Business, Audiobook, Education

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2017

About the author

Emilie Wapnick is a writer, artist, career coach and community leader. She is the Founder and Creative Director at Puttylike.com, where she helps multipotentialites (people with many passions, skills, and creative pursuits) integrate all of their interests to create dynamic, fulfilling and fruitful careers and lives.

Emilie has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, The Financial Times, The Huffington Post and Lifehacker. Her TED talk, Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling has been viewed over 3 million times and translated into 36 languages. Visit her online at puttylike.com.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit of an existential crisis this week, so when I saw this book in the library it seemed to call out my name. Truth to be told, I am 30 years old and I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I have a pretty useful degree, a stable job where I am valued (at least I hope so), and an array of hobbies I enjoy, but something is missing - the spark that really motivates me. The routine is a heavy burden. I pick up side projects on a whim and lose interest in them just as fast. One day I'm learning Swedish, the next I am starting a blog, and next week I'm planning to launch a small business.

And then I find my answer... I'm a multipotentialist! Excellent, just what I needed in life when I can't even decide which flavour of pizza to order for Saturday night.

Multipotentialists are people who have a variety of interests, who tend to jump between projects without finishing them, and who grow bored with doing one thing for the rest of their lives. Apparently there is a way to turn these qualities into positive skill sets with a little bit of...



I'm going to say it straight up: I hate self-help books. I think they belong in the shady pile of pyramid scheme manuals along with the likes of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Call me a cynic. These authors with no real profession, and who like to call themselves "motivational speakers", find a way to take advantage of poor, gullible chumps looking for that one solution to all their worldly problems, and all for $29.99 plus shipping. I don't subscribe to the value of that. So judge me if you will, but I approached this book with a grain of salt (if not for existential crisis, I'd probably never have picked it up).

Fortunately, Emilie Wapnick's How to Be Everything resonated with me more than your average self-help book. It helped me to understand my own squirrel syndrome and to accept it for what it is. It also did what I needed it to do: validated the fact that I'm not the only weirdo out there. While I found exercises for "finding" myself gimmicky in that The Secret way, and some types of multipotentialism unrealistic/exhausting, I did think that chapters about kicking self-doubt, fear, and procrastination to the curb useful.

Not groundbreaking (mostly common sense), but helpful if you feel a bit lost about lack of direction in your own career path.

[Katie Whitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I might have ugly cried while reading this book because it was so nice to feel like I wasn't a weirdo for not having a career path at 30. I found this book to be genuinely helpful, as well as easy to use and engaging. I might want to actually hug Emilie Wapnick and I am not a physical contact person. My copy, which thank goodness I had the foresight to buy, is bristling like a hedgehog with all the sticky notes I stuck onto passages that resonated with me. I will definitely be referring to this book in the future, and if you think this applies to you at all, please buy it and read it!

[Bianca Bancroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advanced Reader Copy -  I'm a grown up. There I've said it! You happy, world? I'm a grown up, but I really don't want to be one & really don't know how to be one. I feel like just yesterday I was roaming the halls of my elementary school with my safety patrol sash and harry potter wand tucked in my back pocket. You know what, maybe I did do that yesterday... No no no. Yesterday I did my taxes because I'm a grown up. *insert barf sound* I love this book because it teaches you that adulthood can be fun! You don't have to have a job that you hate. You don't have to stay on one career track. And you don't have to feel guilty when you start a new hobby or project and end up hating it!
   This book helps you figure out the answer to the dreaded question "what do you want to be when you grow up." *Spoiler alert* The answer can just be as simple as idk! BUT Wapnick goes deeper than that and gives real advice. She's also incredibly skilled at being inclusive and not making me feel like a loser. Oh, and she includes activities for you to take what she's saying and apply it to your own life.

[Ashly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit boek heeft voor mij zoveel opgehelderd, alsof ik nu snap waarom ik ben hoe ik ben. De laatste jaren zo hard geprobeerd 1 ding te doen, maar daar nooit gelukkig van geworden. Nu weet ik dat het oke is om meerdere dingen te doen, dat er niet 1 ding, 1 passie is, maar er zijn er misschien wel 10. Ik ga hem meteen nog eens lezen en alle opdrachten doen, want ik heb zin om een duurzaam leven op te bouwen rondom mijn veelzijdigheid en te gaan voor alle projecten en ideeën die overal opborrelen :).

[Jaina Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always had a huge variety of interests. I had a terrible time deciding what major to pursue in college next year because there were so many careers I wanted to try: publicity, computer science, economics, accounting, and history were all subjects that I seriously considered majoring in at one point or another. I struggled with the idea of shutting doors on my future, of choosing one path and eliminating my chance to pursuing the rest of them. I eventually wound up choosing to double major in computer science and economics, which are two of my favorite subjects and ensure I will have a wide variety of appealing career paths to choose from down the road.

I say all this to provide some insight into my background approaching How To Be Everything. I have never considered myself to be a "straight arrow" person, which means that by Wapnick's definition of the word I must be a "multipotentialite" (a person with multiple passions and potential pursuits). The book is designed to introduce its readers to this term, a convenient label to put on those of us who have more than one interest, and then to offer different strategy ideas for incorporating diverse interests or even total career switches into one's working life. While I do like Wapnick's advice about following your passions (while always still keeping one eye on the finances!), I'm not sure I agree with her idea that some portion of the population are multipotentialites, that they are a misunderstood and often oppressed bunch, and that they must basically "come out of the closet" about the fact that they are a multipotentialite and try to fight against restricting social norms that seek to make them have only one interest their entire life.

Why do I not agree with this? Because I've never met anyone who wasn't a multipotentialite. If there's truly someone with only one interest out there, who never gets sick of their job or passionate about a side hobby or occasionally daydream about hopping careers, then they are the minority in this world. Honestly, I think most people pursue what Wapnick calls the "Einstein Approach," which is basically just having a good enough job and doing things that interest them in their free time. Gobs of people also follow the "Group Hug Approach," pursuing a career that encapsulates most of their greatest interests. I, to be perfectly honest, will probably do both of those: I'll have a "group hug" job that combines my love of tech and economics, and then I'll spend my free time reading and doing art projects and other things my job doesn't offer. This won't make me any sort of strange person or outlier–it's really a pretty normal path! The outliers are truly the ones who follow Wapnick's other models: the "Slash Approach," which is basically when you have a few different rewarding jobs simultaneously, and the "Phoenix Approach," which is when you pursue one career to an expert level and then start over in a new one. These subsets of Wapnick's "multipotentialites" are really the more rare ones, and these are the people who would find that the world isn't really designed for their eclectic career path. I suppose it's good that they are encouraged to pursue what really fascinates them, but I do hope they give things a full try before getting discouraged and moving on (and if they only have one year left in their PhD program, then for heaven's sake they should finish it!!).

All in all, though, this was a pretty interesting self-help book that was very different from any other one I've ever read. It was quite engaging and easy to read, unlike most books of the genre that I have to drag myself through, and I honestly liked thinking about Wapnick's tips even if I didn't agree with all of her points. If you think this book is interesting, by all means do give it a try!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to participate in a TLC book tour.

[Jessica Cleghorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book; I really enjoyed the first 1/4 or so; however in all honesty I can't even remember much of the rest. The idea behind it is great: not all of us are suited to one particular career path, and the book goes on to explain various ways in which those whom the author dubs "multipotentialites" can find fulfilment in their work and ways in which they can combine their interests, even if they don't seem to hold much correlation. This is however much of a DIY thing, with a few very quick exercises to help you along (understandable I guess- much of the book is around not worrying about fitting into society or other peoples moulds for how you should be.). A lot of the ideas are geared towards cultures in which networking plays a large role in finding employment, but many other ideas are explored too ( and the need for specialization in particular careers- surgery, for example ;)-is not forgotten). Some of it read like we need to "come out" about having more than one interest, which I found a little bizarre- but maybe this is because I haven't grown up in the same culture.

[Elisabeth Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out so promising... but honestly, the most enlightening part of the book was simply the word "Multipotentialite." The rest of it was... stuff I've basically already worked out for myself, without knowing it was a "thing."

Still, I'm grateful to know I'm not the only person in the world who can't fit themselves into a singular passion career.

[José Antonio Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emilie Wapnick rose to fame after her TED talk "Why some of us don't have one true calling" that has almost 4M views. Emilie has devoted to help people who are "multipotentialites" or someone with many interests and creative pursuits. This book is an extension of her talk giving anecdotal support to what multipotentialites are, and what they do to be more effective in spite of their multiple interests and lack of consistency.

The book is a good intro for multipotentialites, a feel good, "Welcome to the tribe" (as the title of one the chapters) book. It provides some tools to assess if one is indeed a multipotentialite and its kind. Finally it offers some tools to improve effectiveness. However the books is somehow soft, in a way it is expected since the core idea of multipotentialites is that they don't follow social norms on how to live ones lives. Nonetheless, that softness seems like a rationalization, an excuse to fail on delivering. Like it or not multipotentialites live in the real world where people expect results on time, on cost and on quality, no excuses.

Hope Wapnick work gets the attention in academic circles to become a research subject and thus future books and papers. Meanwhile you can find more about Wapnick and multipotentialites in her site Puttylike.com

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nog nooit heb ik mezelf terug gezien in een non-fictie boek zoals in Hoe word je alles?. Nog nooit heb ik me zo begrepen gevoeld.
In het dagelijks leven heb ik vaak het gevoel me te moeten verantwoorden. Ik wil niet 20 jaar in hetzelfde bedrijf werken en ik hop graag van job naar job. Werken op projectbasis is voor mij ideaal - hetzelfde als een parttime baan. Ik heb namelijk altijd wel wat creatieve projecten lopen en doe veel vrijwilligerswerk. Ik haal energie uit variatie en leer graag nieuwe dingen. Ik word graag uitgedaagd. Ik heb 1001 hobby’s en interesses.
Dankzij Hoe word je alles? heb ik ontdekt dat er niks mis met mij is; ik ben een multipotentialist. Ik ga dit boek nog vele keren herlezen en ben ook van plan de verschillende oefeningen te doen. Wie weet kan ik in 2019 van het Einsteinmodel naar het Smeltkroesmodel of het Schuinestreepmodel migreren. Ik kijk er in ieder geval naar uit om de mogelijkheden te onderzoeken. En ik denk dat ik dit boek ook een aantal mensen onder de neus zal duwen..
Een uitgebreide recensie volgt.

[Sedmorteza · Rating 2 out of 5]

نیمه‌تمام...

[Kelly]

This one isn't necessarily life-changing for me, since this is sort of how I've decided to craft my career, but I can see a book like this being huge for a younger person who is tired of being asked "what do you want to do?" or "what do you want to major in?" I used to choke up at that question and sometimes answer in a really smartass way. I'd say I want to be nothing or, for a long time, I said I'd like to hold the stop sign in construction zones. As snarky as it sounds, the point of both those answers was really simple: stop asking me to choose something and allow me to cultivate a career my way, how I need to, and in a way that offers ample opportunity to explore.

I did dig looking at four ways to consider a career when you have so many interests and skills. I thought that I saw myself as one way but as I dug into the descriptions, I saw how I've been many of these ways and that priorities changing is a normal progression in terms of career growth.

Most career books are finding the how. This one is about the why, and I really appreciate it. Wapnick is a queer woman, too, and I can't help but see that her own personal intersections influence her thinking on this topic.

A great one to pair with The Big Life: Embrace the Mess, Work Your Side Hustle, Find a Monumental Relationship, and Become the BADASS BABE You Were Meant to Be and in a slightly less obvious way, Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The writer's tone throughout was not necessarily my favorite (it often felt like she was adding a lot of jokes to the text to be funny/relatable but it felt a bit put on). However, the overall idea of not forcing yourself into one specific role or position or business appealed to me enough that I powered through. Wapnick cites a lot of other authors throughout the text, making me wonder if their books would be worth checking out further or if this book would suffice as a general understanding of what to take from them... I haven't decided where I stand on that yet.

Of the approaches mentioned, I definitely see myself as one to take The Einstein Approach. In many ways, this alignment reinforced ideas I'd read about and related to in McGinnis' The 10% Entrepreneur. I appreciated the exercise of taking the time to write out and narrow down between each and every interest I may hold, advice I'd seen before but never actually acted on. Having this concrete (but also always growing) list is a good way to check in and make sure I'm still doing things that align with my vision for myself and my future.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I wouldn't call it a must read, but if you have the time and the topic interests you, I'd say it's worth a read (or a skim at the very least).

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a few other people have mentioned in their reviews, I enjoyed the first quarter of this book, and after that it became extremely dull. I will admit I skimmed most of the end because I was simply done reading. The beginning was funny and interesting, and I enjoyed and related to a lot of it. However, the middle section just dragged, didn't offer much that was helpful, and just really wasn't what I was looking for in a book. My problem is more that I have no real career direction at all right now, and while the book seems to advertise that's what it will help with, instead it spends a lot of time giving advice about how to be many different things at once or over time. While that might be helpful to some people, what I really was looking for was a book to help me figure out what to be "when I grow up" but sadly it didn't really provide me that.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I actually want to say is that I read the book, I loved it, and you should read it.

There. I said it. Can I go play outside now?

How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick is excellent. It struck a chord with me on a deep personal level.

I listened to the audiobook whilst traipsing through snow and came back all inspired.

Multipotentialites of the world unite!

I wrote an article about it here.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth your time, but it might be, since it only took about 2 hours to read.

After reading Wapnick's TED article, I felt compelled to read her full-length work. Sadly, it turns out there was actually no more substance than that original article. The content is thin and unoriginal, although it probably resonates well with the groups who push for more trigger warnings. When she quoted a "Fast Company" article, I knew it was over.

This is what happens when we teach people only how to write 500 word articles and then they try to write a book.

[Julicke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much what it says on the tin: a helpful book with some good advice that made me feel better about having a lot of different and wavering interests. It's mostly based on the author's own experiences and those of the many people she interviewed, with a little science sprinkled in here and there for flavour. It doesn't try to be the be-all end-all of how you should live your life, but merely gives you some strategies and ideas the reader can play around with, which I appreciated. The different work-structures were the main takeaway for me and I'll definitely consider them for the future.

I should note though that this book doesn't work very well as an audiobook, because it often asks you to write things down (which I couldn't do while I was driving or doing something else while listening to it) and refers to flowcharts and stuff that it doesn't narrate, so I'd recommend reading rather than listening for this one.

[Farin · Rating 4 out of 5]

سعید دانشمندی عزیز، اگر روزی این نوشته را دیدی بدان و آگاه باش که تو با ترجمه‌ی این کتاب تحول بزرگی در زندگی من ایجاد کردی. من هیچ وقت حتی اسم نسخه‌ی انگلیسی این کتاب را هم نشنیدم تا اینکه به تازگی با این نسخه‌ی فارسی مواجه شدم.
موضوعی که در دسته بندی ذهنی من اصلا جایی نداشت و برای اولین بار اینجا بود که فهمیدم چیزی که سال‌ها به عنوان نقطه ضعف به آن نگاه ‌میکردم در حقیقت ویژگی متمایز کننده‌ی من از بقیه بوده!
من کاری به متن کتاب و جزئیات ندارم! من با شکستن کلیشه‌ای کار دارم که باعث شده میلیون‌ها نفر با خودشان در یک درگیری طولانی مدت و بیهوده باشند. خواندن این کتاب را به همه توصیه میکنم، چون اگر خودشان هم این ویژگی را نداشته باشند قطعا در اطرافشان ادم‌هایی از این دست دارند که رفتار و واکنش درستی به نحوه‌ی زندگی و انتخاب‌های این افراد نداشته‌اند و چه بسا باعث تشدید گمراهی و حال بد انها شده باشند.
از خواندنش خوشحالم.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4 stars

I (mostly) really liked this book because this is me -- one generation older than the author -- who has been called a job hopper.

"Mostly" because sometimes the writing could have been a bit tighter, and personally, I think that this might have been better in a workbook format.

Overall I enjoyed the book (and audiobook -- Allyson Ryan's narration is bright and excellent!), and I plan to work through the exercises this evening because I need to shake things up!

[Claire Brear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really helpful language for thinking and talking differently about specialisation vs generalisation. I especially enjoyed the practical advice about how to introduce yourself as a multi-potentialite in response to the dreaded 'So, what do you do?' question, and tips on how to talk about your work/projects. I also think this would be great reading and subject matter for discussion in schools. A very encouraging read all round!

[Sofie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Efter en lite seg start gav den här boken så mycket tankar, idéer och uppmuntran. Lättläst, rolig och inspirerande. Rekommenderas starkt till alla som har fler intressen än de hinner med.

[L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank goodness for this book which provides the "simple" but often-overlooked answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up" -- MORE THAN ONE THING! And, you can do those more than one things at the same time! What a relief. This book was perfect for middle-aged me who is struggling with the idea that I wasn't completely satisfied in my job, yet no other job called to me. I saw a career counselor who showed me appealing options, but I knew those weren't the right fit either. I toyed with the idea of gravitating back toward sexuality education, but knew I didn't want to completely throw myself into that. Huzzah! Enter How to be Everything and I learn it's OK to keep my job (part time, as it is) AND also pursue sex ed stuff.

You may be thinking that this is not an exciting revelation, but it sort of is for me. The idea of choosing multiple careers and holding them simultaneously goes against how I was raised and goes against my prior understanding of how careers work. Thinking about having two careers, and having that be the answer to my professional identity, provides me with peace. I no longer feel I should choose or find my "one true calling." I am never going to have one true calling, and that's OK.

Please read this book if you aren't sure what you want to be when you "grow up." Read it if you can't decide which fork in the road to take. You are not alone in your confusion and insecurities. It is OK to be many things. Humans are complicated. Embrace all of you.

[Melanie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Emilie when I watched her TED talk a couple of years ago. I think this was my first introduction to the fact that there are people like me who are not wired to specialize in one subject, and to the *why*. It is not that we are "flighty" or any of those other adjectives. We are multipotentialites, or 'scanners'. We are interested in many different subjects, often all at the same time. This knowledge, and the ideas and discussions on Emilie's website Puttylike.com, have been a source of insight and a force for change for me personally.
Emilie knows her subject very well. If you have struggled with how to deal with the pressures (internal or external) of thinking that you *have to* specialize and that this is the only way to be successful, I think you will find this book very enlightening and very useful.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book through Emily's Ted talk and started reading into the Puttylike website. I was pretty excited at first but then realized the idea "multipotentialite" isn't necessarily new, as she also mentioned in the book.

Like other review also mentioned, the book is too quick and too light. Things and solutions described in the book are a bit too general.

I did take away a couple things here and there tho, and I do appreciate the stories she shares. So if you feel like a quick refresher, this could be a book for you. It is just my expectation was much higher.

[Kristin Gentile · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was eh. It didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know.

[Lisanne van Dartel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this book definitely made me overthink all of my life's choices! However, it also gave me some exciting ideas for the future and I found the exercises in the book very useful.
Not a five star rating as the author repeats herself a lot throughout the book (which started to annoy me around the end of the book), but I would still absolutely recommend this book to anyone who's interested in multipotentiality.

[TheBooksOfMadness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il libro che mi ha cambiato la vita. Dal quale non mi staccherò mai più, per niente al mondo. Lo rileggerò quando sarò triste e avrò bisogno di un posto in cui scappare e quando avrò finalmente realizzato i miei sogni.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and affirming for people who have many different interests, hobbies, and pursuits.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very interesting concepts in this book. The thing I got most from it was permission to just try things and it will be okay.

[Nele Vandenberghe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek is megaaa boeiend en ik herkende zo veel. interessant en ook wel geruststellend

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple years ago I stumbled across Emilie Wapnick's TED talk -- "Why some of us don't have one true calling" -- and I felt like I'd found a soul mate. In that presentation, Wapnick talks about how she had a life-long pattern of getting very deep into a subject and then eventually losing interest. Repeatedly. She thought there was something wrong with her.

I've gone through the same struggle in my life and felt as if there was something wrong with me. I bounced from the Marines to hospital work to college/graduate school, teaching, retail management, marketing, library work, massage therapy, et. al. Luckily for me, I had a father who was interested in a variety of things who modeled taking the time to pursue those interests, so I didn't feel like a complete alien. I can still hear my dad and his sister, one of my favorite aunts, laughing about how they hadn't figured out what they wanted to be when they grew up. They were in their 40s then. However, both my dad and my aunt were gainfully employed and I, back then, sometimes worried about my ability to support myself.

In 2007 I took Tom Rath's Strength Finder test and my top strength was learning, which, according to his definition, means I'm more interested in the process of learning than in outcomes. No surprise there. That helped me feel better about my jumping around on the career stage. I've also come to see how skills gained at one job or area of interest have helped me in subsequent jobs or interests.

However, it was seeing Wapnick's TED Talk that helped me let go of my worries and actually embrace the fact that I don't have one true calling when it comes to career. All that I've done thus far has been awesome--it's fed my soul (well, not everything did that), advanced my knowledge and skills, and helped me make great connections with people. She gave me the freedom to let go of some of the shame I'd been carrying around about not completing programs, staying in jobs for way too long, and interests that I once proclaimed were IT that fizzled out.

I jumped at the chance to review Wapnick's new book, How to Be Everything: A Guide For Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want To Be When They Grow Up, for TLC Book Tours and now available from HarperOne.

The book has three parts:

Part I: Everything? Welcome to the Tribe. This section is all about giving consolation and encouragement to world-weary multipotentialites, Emilie's word for those who have multiple interests and creative pursuits. There's nothing wrong with you! She goes over the strengths of being a multipotentialite and offers advice on how to live a happy life balancing money, meaning, and variety.

Part II: The Four Multipotentialite Work Models. Different Strokes for Different Folks. Wapnick has found that there are four major ways multipotentialites work and offers strategies on how to figure out what your style is and how to best work it/them. Fascinating perspectives that will give you insight into yourself and how you might work most effectively.

Part III: Common Multipotentialite Stumbling Blocks. Slaying Your Dragons. This section was the most interesting to me because it's where I am now. I'm working on my personal productivity system, embracing all the things that make me unique, and gaining confidence in my choices. Wapnick offers advice on how to talk with people in various contexts about your multipotentialite life. This section is helpful for me and I think it would be INCREDIBLY helpful for younger folks just starting out on their journey or those who are embracing their various passions for the first time, no matter what their age.

Wapnick's ideas as presented in her TED Talk were a big part of my decision last year to jump into entrepreneurship with my wife Laura. She's a personal coach and we're taking her in-person workshops and transitioning them into online classes. My love of learning, teaching experience, customer service skills, and marketing background, among other things, are all coming into play. It's been a fun and challenging year and Wapnick's book is full of hope and helpful tips for the work I'm doing with our business and my own projects. All of Wapnick's advice is geared toward helping multipotentialites enjoy the work they're doing and the life they're living. This is a book I'll read again and dip into here and there for reminders.

Graduation season is here and this would be a great gift for the high school or college graduate in your life. I wish I'd had a book like this when I was in my 20s. It would've saved me from a lot of worry, self-flagellation, and sticking around in programs/jobs for too long. The way our business world is changing--relying on and rewarding people who are adaptable and well-versed in a variety of fields--this could be a success manual for those who aren't satisfied being specialists in one field.

This review originally posted on my blog at http://www.wildmoobooks.com/2017/05/w...