Have you ever wanted to do a variety of things that are entirely different from each other? Or perhaps doing unique projects in your work makes you more fulfilled, rather than doing the same thing over again? Aha! You are a Multipotentialite.

A Multipotentialite, also known as Renaissance man, polymath, slasher, and generalist, is defined by Emilie Wapnick as “a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life”; hence, they do not have one true calling the way specialists do. It is a concept that originated from Italy and is based on the belief that a person’s ability, skills and talents have no limits, thus, the pursuit of knowledge must be everyone’s goal.

Take the example of the epitome of a true Renaissance man, none other than Leonardo Da Vinci; he is a painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, scientist, mathematician, writer … the list goes on. Names such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Socrates, Descartes, Hildegard, Hypatia are also included in the list. Indeed, having multiple jobs has long been practiced by some of the greatest men and women since the earliest of time. Here is how to know if you are a Multipotentialite:

You have an enormous amount of books covering a huge range of different topics: You’re a book hoarder. Business, classic, biography, art books … you have them all! You get a headache not knowing how to categorize each one of them in your bookshelves.

Your superiors always tell you that you are a fast learner: You absorb information faster than an average Joe and your boss loves you for it!

You are easily bored: The ability to learn fast is a sign of high intelligence, but this also means you frequently toss aside any tasks that you feel you have already mastered. You get bored quickly because you have a thirst for new information and more challenge.

You have sent your resumé for jobs that are entirely different to your background: As long as you get the chance to learn, starting from zero doesn’t really bother you; in actual fact, it excites you. Why not? Your resume consists of different studies and work from diverse industries after all.

You always get excited about new projects: New projects and learning new skills thrill you the most. Just thinking about it makes you feel motivated and energized.

You are a firm believer that knowledge is power: You have this principle that gaining knowledge is mandatory. As a result, you have already compiled a list of seminars and workshops to attend that are significantly distinctive from your field. You might be even saving money to finish another degree.

Networking events are a nightmare: You have a love-and-hate relationship with networking events. Yes, meeting new people excites you, but introducing yourself is terrifying for you as you have a long list of job titles up your sleeve. Not knowing which calling card to give them is another dilemma.

You’re an ideas machine: Ideas pop up everywhere! Whether you’re in the bath, eating, reading, or even talking to someone, your brain just doesn’t stop generating new ideas.

You feel different: “It’s a waste of time and money” is what everyone always says. It saddens you when people close to you can’t understand what you’re doing. You feel different and it’s frustrating.

Do these points perfectly describe you? If yes, welcome to the club!

Sadly, the world is not yet ready for these kinds of talented people. They often see us as being inconsistent, stubborn and immature. When someone asks me what my aspiration in life is, I can’t tell them a straight answer; not because I do not have one but for the reason that I have many goals that I want to achieve. Multipotentiality is not a norm, therefore, being one is hard, especially as we live in a world that expects you to do only one thing.

Jack of all trades; a master of none. But, often times better than the master of one. Being a Multipotentialite is a gift. Embrace it and be proud of it.