But what's your "thing?"
When you don't fit in a box, how do you define who you are?
Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized as a multi-hyphenate.
Does this sound familiar? “A Jack of all of trades is a master of none.” The problem is, as with most things, it’s taken out of context. The original saying is longer: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
It was always meant to be a positive statement.
If you want to stick to one lane, there’s nothing wrong with that. But, then again, this piece isn’t for you.
Many believe you must be one thing to find notoriety and success, but that isn’t very comforting for the majority. We’ve been trained to fit ourselves into boxes based on old societal rules that don’t work in today’s environment.
So we hide in the closet with the insatiable curiosity leveraged by our analytic and creative ambitions. We internalize the battle of what we know to be true about ourselves against the standards set by “society” and shrink ourselves down so as not to exist too much or be too much.
Growing up, we’ve been told if you work hard, focus on what you want to achieve, and spend 10,000 hours and then a decade of “paying your dues,” you will gain enough momentum to get the attention of others. Though I believe in active patience and spending 10,000 hours to hone in on your craft, if you have more than one thing you love, go for it. This fear of being judged or deemed “too ambitious” for wanting to do more than one thing polarized me. I spent years trying to fit myself into a box because I was doing “too much.”
I just wanted to fit in.
I always struggled with my identity because I kept being told that if I just “focused,” I would succeed. As a creative, focus is fundamental, but it doesn’t mean limiting yourself to one discipline or skill set. This isn’t about prescribing to hustle culture or multi-tasking, but in the past few years, we’ve been in overdrive due to the changing landscape of our world. And it’s exhausting trying to keep up. Being adaptable and flexible allows for pivoting to occur without fear. It doesn’t mean having forced positivity or pushing the fear aside. Instead, find a way to switch the fear into the passenger seat of your car, and you take the wheel.
The truth is, it’s because of the winding roads and the trials and tribulations of trying many things that I found success in my current chapter in life. Every experience led to gaining a new skill set, network, and expertise in helping me become a better-rounded individual in the next life stage that followed.
So, what’s your “niche”? What’s your “thing?”
The “niche” is you.
What is the common thread against everything that you do? What is your “WHY”? Your WHY is the drive or motivation behind WHAT you do and HOW you do it. To identify your own WHY and select an image that best represents it, it may be helpful to reflect on the following questions: What drives or motivates your life and work?
If you don’t know your WHY, I highly recommend this exercise.
For example, the common thread between my careers has been my ability to share stories and create experiences for audiences and consumers, regardless of the medium, with impact. The way I see it, my purpose is to help folks get out of their heads (and their way) to be present at the moment and experience what’s in front of them to reach their full potential.
Your work is the how.
What are your passions? Have you sat down to map out what you want to achieve? To be a successful multi-hyphenate, you must know where you’re going. Oprah, yes, Oprah, once said: “People get to where they want to go because they know where they want to go. Most people don’t know where they want to go.”
🤯
Let’s take a moment.
So you want to be a writer, director, painter, actor, or singer; what does each look like? What milestones will be vital in measuring your progress and growth?
It’s all about understanding purpose and direction.
Once you have the answer, it becomes easier to balance your multiple passions.
Understand your WHY and set up some milestones, then start. Don’t wait for the perfect time, because there isn’t one. Just do it and refine it over time. To eliminate the inevitable chaos, you need to learn to manage it.
Here are my favourite ways of managing my life as a multi-hyphenate:
Do monthly, weekly, and daily priorities. Pick three. Three big things for the months, three for the week, and three for each day.
Example: For July, my three big things for the month are finishing my next feature script draft, setting up ten networking meetings, and assembling the team for my scripted podcast project. Each week, along with other work, I’ll create goals for the week that reflect my big three and then find a way to simplify them each day. So those ten networking meetings? I’ll aim to send 40 emails a week, which means at least 8 emails a day, to hopefully set up ten meetings by the end of the month.
STOP comparing. I know this is impossible. It’s hard not to see everyone’s highlight reel online and compare your accomplishments against theirs. Instead of letting the green monster of jealousy kick in when you feel jealous, please take it as a signal that your body is telling you that you, too, want that. If you are going to compare, compare yourself to who you were yesterday, six months ago, or a year ago. Compete against yourself, not others, to become the best version possible. Easier said than done, I know. But it’s worth it.
Give that evil voice in your head a name. We all have an “inner saboteur,” and the key to getting past self-doubt in being who you are is disassociating yourself from that person. So give it a name. You don’t have to tell anyone the name; pick one that you don’t like. Every time “Voldermort” says something negative to try and hold you back, respond with: “Shut up, Voldemort, no one asked you.”
If you suck at keeping yourself accountable, get an accountability buddy.
Example: Right now, I’m working on a feature script, and my friend M has in his calendar to text me every two weeks to get a status update on how many pages I have done. This works because I’m a people pleaser and hate disappointing others.
Don’t stress about having the perfect routine.
Every other video on my TikTok FYP is “This is the morning routine every successful creative needs….” No, thank you. Instead, find daily milestones.
Example: My main milestones are that I need 15 minutes of mindfulness, at least 5,000 steps, and writing three pages daily. Regardless of what time I do it, that works for me as long as I hit those goals. Some mornings, I want to sleep in; others, I wake up at 6 AM. What works for me is listening to my body and allowing myself not to push my body to extreme lengths if I have an “off day.” Even if I can only show up for 10% of the day, if I show up for that, then I’ve shown up to 100% of my capacity.
Remember to have one creative hobby or skillset that isn’t for money.
As creatives, we like to get our hands dirty. It’s essential to have a creative outlet, whether it’s cooking, crocheting, or legos, that can allow you to get lost in your creativity without the pressures of deadlines or brand building.
Example: I love building miniatures. There’s no rhyme or reason, but when I have the time to dive in, I get lost for hours. Plus, it’s so cute!
Ultimately, I can give you every piece of advice in the book, but the truth is, the best person to listen to is yourself.
Listen to your gut, your body, and trust yourself.
“Wisdom is fungible. The more you have of it — regardless of where you got it — the more places you can apply it.” - Elysian
Being a multi-hyphenate allows you to have an enriched life on your terms. Don’t fight it; embrace it.
READ
How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up by Emilie Wapnick
Bestselling Author David Epstein On Philosophy, Accepting Obstacles, and Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
LISTEN
Billy Porter: Leaning into Your Authenticity on “Dear Multi-Hyphenates”
Listen on Apple Podcasts | SpotifyGreta Gerwig: On Being A Multi-Hyphenate on “Ctrl Alt Delete”
Listen on Apple Podcasts | SpotifyBrendan Fallis On The Multi-Hyphenate Hustle on “Influencer Business”
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify
WATCH
Issa Rae Shares Her Insight On What It Means To Be A Multi-Hyphenate & How She Navigates The Industry.
The Futur answers: Can You Do It All & Be Successful?
Nik Daum: Multi-hyphenate Nik Daum on Serendipity