After an entire life (so far!) of diving into and exploring whatever endeavor called me, I
finally came to peace with it. The fact is, my love of learning has always been the unifying, driving force.
Being labeled a "dabbler", I used to feel a fair bit of unease that I did not
fit society's "career path" mold.
Certainly, my poor parents have never
known what to tell their friends when asked what their eldest "does" for a living.
I
even took an ADD test once. Turns out I am actually the OPPOSITE of Attention-Deficit Disordered! At least one, er,
ex-boyfriend projected a perceived "lack of discipline." Yet I've always been very
focused and productive.
And, at least one therapist suggested I consider exploring a possible
'fear of success.' Which was kind of funny because I've actually felt pretty successful all along -- and with MY
definition of success, if not society's teeny definition.
It turned out that I'd been the victim
of mistaken identity, according to Barbara Sher, author of Refuse to Choose. There's been nothing
wrong with me all along!
Barbara calls me and all my eclectic tribemates, "scanners."
A scanner is someone fascinated by so many areas, he or she can't settle for just one.
She
says, “Scanners seem to be highly intelligent, multi-talented people who need to have more
interests than the average person.” Aha! Just what I suspected!