Why have I chosen to write on this topic? Well, the reason is simple: I am a “Multi-potentialist” myself and I see this as an opportunity to show us how to avoid the mistakes I’ve overcome walking this path.
Who am I referring to as “Multi-potentialists”?
They are the set of individuals who are so vast in skills, in ideas and in gifting. You must have at one time or the other met such people who the world call ‘Jack of all trades.’ They are like a sea of tremendous wealth in human body.
They can create, repair, maintain, manage, initiate, develop or do a combination of any two or more. Such individuals so creative that they could do almost anything assigned to them whatever the field may be. So endowed that they could fashion up to 15 ideas in a short time frame to solve a particular problem. The list is endless.
Mind you, the word “Multi-potentialist” is not a dictionary word – don’t go searching, lol.
Let’s all clarify that EVERY gift, EVERY Idea, EVERY skill is a potential wealth spinner and a blessing to humanity.
However, I see a problem:
Almost 8 out of every 10 Multi-potentialists struggle through life. Many find it difficult to attain to the affluence, wealth and honor that ought to accompany their giftedness.
Now, I’ve been able to streamline 3 major challenges that besets every Multi-potentialist as well as ways to overcome them.
Let’s see them together:
1. Confusion
This is a fundamental problem faced by almost every Multi-potentialist out there. It is the problem of having too much noise in the head. The confusion of having the ability to “do so much”, and being able to “think up so much” sets many on the path of an adventure which most times leads nowhere.
Candid Advice: Don’t be an Eddie Murphy: acting almost every role in the movie of life. You need to define your path – be known for one thing or at most two at a time! Am I now asking you to neglect your other gifts? That’s absolutely not so correct. All I’m asking you to do is to become known for your most pronounced gifts while you maintain a low profile on the rest.
With time, you could bring out the rest from the archive one at a time, if you so desire.
Zuckerberg may have other “silent” interests but the particular one that currently resonates with his name is Facebook.
Ronaldinho on the hand, may have his other interests as well, but he is known primarily as one legendary footballer who brought so much fun to the game especially at the midfield.
2. Humanitarian mentality
This is another bane of Multi-potentialists. The ease with which they spin out ideas and execute skills most times cause them to underrate their worth. Hence, they either give their services for free or at best under-price themselves. Their attitude looks more like “after all, another idea will come” or “my skills remain intact, no one takes it from me”.
This is a completely bad practice!
Candid Advice: If you have willed your life to humanity, please go start an NGO and be successful at it, but if you have bills to settle like me, rethink your path and start placing premium on putting a price to your services. Your skills and ideas are not just there to make you feel good, they are what the holy book calls YOUR POWER TO GET WEALTH. Copy that? Don’t keep doing “oshofree” and still go crying to your creator – “Lord bless me!”
3. Environmental Limitation
Dearest, it is high time you stopped casting your pearls to the swine. If your environment won’t pay for your gift, take a swift walk – you don’t belong there! As a matter of fact, I’ve come to the realization that the worst persons to sell your gifts to are people who know your beginning: such persons find it difficult to appreciate how far you’ve come no matter how heavily anointed you are with your gifts (there are few exceptions though).
Candid Advice: Don’t let your environment define your worth, rather let your worth create your environment! The same Olajumoke who is worth just a bread seller on the streets of Agege is the same multimillionaire Model in the hands of a T.Y Bello.
Trust you got value?
by Oluwatosin Samuels