For years, I knew a few things about myself. I was a generalist. I thrived in roles like test engineer, software config management, and freelance dev, not the linear track of design engineering. I had (and still have) offbeat hobbies and a curiosity that zigs and zags. And around 2018, I discovered I’m borderline HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) which gave me another useful frame.

But it wasn’t until my coach said, “You should look into multipotentiality,” that things clicked. This was summer 2020. I wasn’t searching for an explanation. I was just following a lead from someone I trusted.

But as I learned more, something shifted. Hearing about other multipotentialites, especially historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci (the prototype Renaissance Soul) felt like putting on glasses and finally seeing the landscape clearly. This wasn’t a flaw. It was a feature.

Multipotentiality gave me permission to stop criticizing myself every time I set aside a project I started. Instead of asking, “What’s the one thing I should focus on?” I started asking, “What’s the through-line here?” Often, it’s curiosity. Or storytelling. Or creative problem-solving. The connections are there if I let them be.

That shift changed how I define success. It’s not about punishing myself for not sticking to one thing. It’s about the mental nourishment I get from exploring rabbit holes, starting projects, and letting my curiosity lead the way. I’ve stopped seeing my many projects as detours and started seeing them as part of a wider joyful journey.

One of the most freeing insights? I don’t have to finish everything. Not all ideas need to become lifelong commitments. Some are just sketches, experiments that teach me something that then fade into my memory bank.

If you’re just discovering that you might be a multipotentialite, here’s what I’d say: embrace the way you are wired. Trust that your mind is leading you somewhere, even if it doesn’t always look like a straight line. Let your curiosity lead. What looks scattered now might someday be the foundation of something only you could create.

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