Rather than label myself a creative, I’m finding that I am more of a generalist and believe all the experiments with various activities and experiences collected by having various jobs over the years are leading up to something. 

Blogs, podcasts, e-newsletters and social media abound these days. As I mentioned in another post, I love them all and subscribe to many. Too many, in fact. I find that I gravitate to those that fill a void or need at any particular time.

I went through a phase where I listened non-stop to those that encouraged courage and urged listeners to step out of their comfort zone and embrace fear and grow. I needed to hear that message.

Then I went through a life coaching phase where I listed to individuals claim that they were experts at obtaining happiness, peace and success and shared their strategies. I needed to hear that message.

And, the biggie at my age: health and wellness. From healthy living to healthy eating to healthy activities – I covered the gamut. I needed to hear that message, too.

Then, rather abruptly, I lost interest in my go-to media choices in my library. Why? I had my fill. I didn’t need to hear these stories any longer. In fact, they became somewhat annoying. It became the same soup reheated.

While all these stories helped me learn and grow, I still haven’t found my “passion.” I have tried several things over the years. I consider myself a creative individual and threw myself into crafts and hobbies and other interests only to walk away – for several reasons.

My pending retirement is a little over a year away and I’m anxious about what I’ll do with myself all day. The only good thing about all this is that I have tried various things over the years and have learned a lot about myself along the way. It’s not like I’ll be starting from ground zero when I retire. 

Rather than label myself a creative, I’m finding that I am more of a generalist and believe all the experiments with various activities and experiences collected by having various jobs over the years are leading up to something. I’m not totally sure yet, but all that I’ve learned has to amount to something. Here’s what I have so far:

• Generalist: In a world where we are encouraged to find one passion, one thing that we can hang our hat on, I’m going to keep experimenting and learning with anything that interests me.
• Creativity: I still believe I’m a creative individual but not in a way I was applying myself in the past. I like to use my creativity to build – or rebuild -- something (a business, perhaps?) and believe this is what guided my success in my career.
• Strategy: I love taking ideas and bringing them to fruition. I don’t need to have one passion or interest. This skill is something I can apply to anything.
• Trust my gut: More times than not, it is spot on!  I need to trust it and myself.

Bottom Line: I’m going to read David Epstein’s book, titled “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.”* I think I need to hear this message. Generalists can – and do – win.