5 Reasons to Nurture a Split Personality

I'm Romeo & Juliet. I'm David & Goliath. I'm Harold & Maude. I'm also John Cusack and all 9 other characters from the film Identity.

I've always found it fascinating how almost every character driven story seeks to only develop a single character to the point of relatability. There can be fantastic depth of character given to supporting players, but you don't see yourself in them do you? You see yourself in the hero.

Or at least you're supposed to...

I know I'm not alone in this, but I see myself everywhere, in every character to some degree. I have however, made it a practice to see this way. I have forced my mind open to feel similar to more and more "types" of people. Here is why it can revolutionize your life to nurture all your personalities.

Maximum Relatability Equals Maximum Solutions
We relate to any given hero because we relate to their struggle and we are emotionally invested in their solution. But what about our own problems? Aren't these a tad more important than whether we enjoy a film? If we know relatability to be the foundation of trust, it is no surprise that we seek wisdom from those that are "like us". I trust that your solution will work for my problem if I'm like you. So, why wouldn't I want...nay...seek to expand my ability to relate? More relatability, more solutions.

Keep Work Spicy
I've been reading a lot about "multipotentialites" recently at Puttylike.com. A multipotentialite is essentially someone who has specialist capabilities in multiple areas....and ironically, are also the folks who hate the term specialist. I personally believe that all humans are (or can easily become) multipods, but I'll rant on that later. We who have many active interests are usually described as "easily distracted" or "excitable". I don't necessarily deny the description, but I take some issue with the idea that this is a bad way to be. Not following through is bad, but being constantly excited is way more of a blessing than a curse. Our curiosity effortlessly keeps things "spicy" in the office.

Think With Both Brains
Piggy backing on the previous point, the more diversified your skills the more the more valuable you are to others. This diversification makes it a thousand times easier to be both excitable and to follow through on those crazy ideas. Imagine a world in which every artist is highly organized, where statisticians are empathic, and where all web developers have average social skills! WHAT A WORLD THAT WOULD BE!!! The more skills/tools one has, the more means of application are seen and more opportunities become snatchable.

The Right Tool For The Job
I've described how even thinking in a new way exposes new opportunities, but when you have all the right tools for every job...well then, you are without equal. Now, I don't remotely have all the skills for every job, but it really seems like Leonardo DaVinci did doesn't it? He's famously quoted as saying "I believe knowledge of all things is possible." Michael Gelb wrote a fascinating book entitled "How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci" that outlines the methods the master himself used to hone his many specialties, and precisely how to duplicate his process. Many of us are far from being masters at everything, but I could be persuaded to believe that given enough time I could master all the skills necessary for everything I'm currently interested in.

It's Healthy to be a Little Crazy
Chase Reeves of The Fizzle Show likes to say "There is a certain amount of self-delusion necessary to being an entrepreneur." I may have butchered the quote a bit, but the idea is pretty straightforward: I wouldn't take risks without a bit o' crazy. I also wouldn't strive to continue learning and getting better at my current "thing" if I wasn't sure I was an impostor. The duality of this thinking is the very essence of my split-personality: My overconfidence is equally match with an impostor syndrome. It may sound strange, but I thank the heavens everyday for this paradox. The juxtaposition keeps me in check, keeps me moving forward, and keeps me risking my hide on a daily basis. 

So there. You. Have it (shoutout to CWR). Being split-personalitied, multipotential, DaVincian or whatever else, It's vital to continually develop all that is you...and we'd all do well to learn to love the crazy.

YOUR TURN:

How do you nurture your many crafts? I'd love to hear what you all think about this. I will never presume to "have figured it out" and your commentary, even opposition, is the fire that we all need to continue theorizing, experimenting, and figuring this all out!