Curiosity Creatures: Multipassionate Humans

If someone asks me which historical figures or humans, living or dead, I’d like to meet, I’m most likely to answer: Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Benjamin Franklin and Golda Meir. I’ve recently gotten to asking myself why these particular people?

For the first three, the answer is that they were all ‘Renaissance men (people),’ a term for those who are well versed in many different areas and subjects, who have sharp, focused minds, love to learn and are endlessly curious. This is certainly meant as a compliment. I admire folks who are curious and talented in many different fields and areas-----everyone, that is, except myself. The fact that I am like this, a multipassionate human in modern times, makes me think there’s something wrong with me. These days, specialists are revered. By the way, I picked Golda because she was the first woman prime minister of Israel (1969-1974). She was not only a good leader and fine diplomat but she had and showed her humanistic and ‘motherly’ side, even with other world leaders.

Personally, I have always been interested in many and sometimes, unrelated subjects that were all fascinating to me. My mind and thoughts often go off on tangents and though I can always find my way back to my original thought, many others can’t quite follow me or they may think I am ‘scattered’ and ‘unfocused.’ Worse yet, for a very long time, I believed that something was wrong with me. I felt different. Why was I so interested in so many different things: art, science, history, languages, travel and on and on? To me, the world is a big place, full of adventure, experiences and things to discover. I’m not the only one. We multipassionate humans or curiosity creatures, as I have named us, are intensely interested in so many things. We are often told that we are ‘too much……..’.It’s taken me and perhaps you, a long time to accept myself as I am and even like these curiosity, love of learning and creative labels I’ve been given.

Recently, in the coaching world, I’m hearing a lot about multipassionate entrepreneurs. This seems to be the overarching word used for those involved in business in different fields. Think: Elon Musk, Richard Branson. I respect these guys, for sure. But you don’t have to be a businessperson or entrepreneur to be mulitpassionate. You can just call yourself a ‘Renaissance person’ if you’d like or maybe a ‘curiosity creature.’ You like to dip your toes or sometimes, go deeper, into a subject or field, or start a project. You may or may not complete it but that’s not the point. The point is that you’re continually learning and growing. You feel and know that there’s so much out there………

Many of us get down on ourselves because we have a hard time making choices: about careers, interests and we often have challenges in finishing up projects. It seems that we’re even genetically different but this is not a bad thing, though I thought it was for much of my life. Others thought I wasn’t able to focus but I knew this to be untrue; I was focused enough to go through dental school and to work as a dentist for more than 30 years. Trust me; this took a hell of a lot of focus and patience and energy. Even while I was running my dental practice and raising my son as a single mom, I became fascinated with and got certified as a Life Coach and as a Hypnotherapist. I also did a lot of writing. And in my earlier days: dancing, gymnastics, drawing and acting. In my family, we were raised with the arts and interest in various cultures and lifestyles. My folks were from Paris, France and brought their culture, habits and interest with them: writing, cooking, business, reading (lots of reading), discussion (food, politics, religion, all of it). I was encouraged to keep learning.

When I was in elementary, middle and high school, I was a good student and constantly bored. I would come home with report cards with A5 on them (A is the grade and 5:behavior). A note my mom got used to seeing: Gigi is an asset to the class, but speaks too much with her friends. True! I was fortunate that my mother understood that I was bored, that I wanted to learn more, see more, experience more……..Many of us are just considered scattered or labeled as ADD. My astrology sign is Gemini, so I joked that I was born this way. But I felt different and others tried to push me into a box. I was good at drawing but because I was an A student, I was pushed into more academic subjects. I thought, Why couldn’t I do them all? The people in charge didn’t get that.

HISTORY:

Historically speaking, in the USA, before the 1950’s, when you were a multipassionate person, you were admired, respected and looked up to. Then, when Russia beat us into space, we got very focused on our kids studying math and science and after they studied, they could use it to start a career. In other words, practical ‘work’ training instead of general culture and education. Unfortunately, our education system still works this way today. We are oriented to our STEM teaching, which is important for advancement and for our environment, planet and place in the world.

Most schools no longer teach art, music and dance. What a shame! If you look at history, what seems to remain from the past? Art, mostly. Paintings, books, buildings. Yes; scientific advances are vital but it’s our imagination and creativity that makes the world fascinating and beautiful. To be honest, these were always my favorite classes (art, music, etc.), not because I was lazy or uninterested but because they developed my mind, body, spirit and soul, not just my brain and mind.

No one critiques DaVinci’s notebooks, full of drawings of all subjects; the human body, airplanes, drawings, etc. or Ben Franklin’s, full of quotes, inventions, science, politics and diplomacy. We used to call these people geniuses. Now, we call them scattered and unable to focus and choose. By the way, ADD includes within it, an inability to focus and some people with ADHD seem to hyperfocus. Curiosity creatures are able to focus quite well and intensely; they’re just interested in so many things……….and can focus on each of them.

It may be true that we don’t finish all that we start but who cares? If we come up with hundreds of ideas, even if we finish up only a few of them, we’re ahead of the game. And we often manage to complete things, too.

BORED?:

During the Covid pandemic, friends and colleagues were telling me that they were bored. I could not comprehend this. For me, it was the first time in my life I had the time to take on, try and do what I really desired. I sold my dental practice, ended my long career as a dentist and made my part-time work as a Life Coach and Hypnotherapist, full-time. I created a new website, with some help from my friends and professionals, and learned how to run an online business. I take courses to constantly grow as a Mindset Coach and as a person. I am now writing: weekly blogs, a newsletter and as an Executive Contributor for Brainz magazine (online) and will continue to write even more. I have gone back to drawing and painting and I’m now working as a painter, mostly in acrylics, charcoal and collage. My NYC apartment has become part art-studio, part office and part, my retreat. Another thing: Most of us curiosity creatures live in cluttered spaces because our home is also our ‘workspace’ and the place of ‘ideas’ and inventiveness. So, I’ve given up on the desire to have a ‘neat-looking’ home and just enjoy my projects.

When folks tell me they’re bored, I really wonder how this is possible? I tell them that I could live for 120 years, and still, never do all that I want to. Who has the time to get bored? There’s so much to see, do, learn and understand in this big, beautiful, and crazy world.

If you relate to being or just want to be a Curiosity Creature or Multipassionate human, here are some tips and tools you can use to encourage, motivate and really accept the beautiful, creative, brilliant mind and heart you’ve been given and, when and only if you want to, do something with it. You can’t do it all (you have so many great ideas), so go for those that ‘pull’, attract and/or speak to you.

TIPS:

1)Write. Make yourself your special notebook or journal. This is YOUR private place to jot down your ideas, your tangential thoughts and ideas, drawings, diagrams, creations--------anywhere and everywhere, however it comes to you. You don’t have to DO every idea or project you write down. Just let your mind do what it does-----go from place to place, thought to thought and jot it down. For one thing, it gets it out of your head and onto paper so you don’t forget it and you see what excited you about it. Let your creativity, imagination and intuition go WILD!  Put your inner critic to bed and wake up your inner voice instead!

2)Playtime: give yourself some committed daily time (10 minutes-one hour or more) to let yourself imagine and go where your mind, heart and spirit want to go…………… This will give you the freedom to just be you (we all need this) and the commitment to yourself to ACCEPT yourself, just the way you are.

3)If others discourage or criticize you, you can ignore them or tell them that, in the past, this was considered to be a grand compliment, to be a ‘Renaissance person.’ That should stop them in their tracks….

4)Accept that you may not have a neat, House & Gardens-looking home but you have the ability to grab things within your reach to get to projects that really fascinate you at the moment.

5)Make yourself a poster or board that has is big enough to see well and that will sit right in front of you, to constantly remind you of and let you see your big intentions. You may want to make 5-7 boxes to represent your next 5-7 years of life, dreams and projects you really want to get to. Then, right them down, perhaps in order of priority. When you’re done with one, cross it off your list, whether you’ve completed it or not and get to the next one.

You’ll most likely start noticing a pattern and if not, no worries. Go for it-----one, some or all!

My biggest TIP to you is to just let yourself be yourself. Being multipassionate is rare and as with most rare things, it’s special and wonderful and to be respected, admired and appreciated, especially by you!

Keep learning, having fun; stay curious and let this brilliant, creative, imaginative mind you were gifted with, go ‘wild’ (in a good, creative way and with intact morals).

With smiles and love,

Dr Gigi

PS: Are you a mulitpassionate human or entrepreneur, who wants to accept, appreciate and utilize your amazing abilities, to make an impact and income? Book a free Discovery session @www.gigiarnaud.com or on Instagram @DrGigiArnaud