Raise your hand if you've ever been asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Levantade a man se algunha vez vos preguntaron: que queres ser de maior?
Now if you had to guess, how old would you say you were when you were first asked this question? You can just hold up fingers. Three. Five. Three. Five. Five. OK. Now, raise your hand if the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has ever caused you any anxiety.
Agora, tratade de calcular a vosa idade a primeira vez que oístes esta pregunta. Podedes levantar os dedos. Tres. Cinco. Tres. Cinco. Cinco... OK Agora, levantade a man se a pregunta "Que queres ser de maior?" vos causou ansiedade dalgún xeito.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
Any anxiety at all.
Nada de ansiedade.
I'm someone who's never been able to answer the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Nunca fun quen de contestar esa pregunta: "Que queres ser de maior?"
See, the problem wasn't that I didn't have any interests -- it's that I had too many. In high school, I liked English and math and art and I built websites and I played guitar in a punk band called Frustrated Telephone Operator. Maybe you've heard of us.
O problema non era a falta de intereses, o problema era que tiña demasiados. Gustábame o inglés, as mates, a arte e facer páxinas web. Tocaba a guitarra nunha banda punk chamada "Frustrated Telephone Operator". Quizáis oíron falar de nós.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
This continued after high school, and at a certain point, I began to notice this pattern in myself where I would become interested in an area and I would dive in, become all-consumed, and I'd get to be pretty good at whatever it was, and then I would hit this point where I'd start to get bored. And usually I would try and persist anyway, because I had already devoted so much time and energy and sometimes money into this field. But eventually this sense of boredom, this feeling of, like, yeah, I got this, this isn't challenging anymore -- it would get to be too much. And I would have to let it go.
Tralo instituto seguín así e nalgún momento, comecei a decatarme dese patrón. Ficaba interesada nun tema, submerxíame nel, autoconsumíame. E cando xa era boa dabondo, no que fose, chegaba a ese punto en que comezaba a enfastiarme. Normalmente, tentaba persistir xa que adicara tantas horas e esforzo e mesmo cartos nese eido. Pero o fastío impúñase, ese sentimento de: "xa está, conseguino, xa non é un desafío". Comezaba a ser moi duro. E tiña que deixalo ir.
But then I would become interested in something else, something totally unrelated, and I would dive into that, and become all-consumed, and I'd be like, "Yes! I found my thing," and then I would hit this point again where I'd start to get bored. And eventually, I would let it go. But then I would discover something new and totally different, and I would dive into that.
Entón, volcávame noutra cousa, algo completamente diferente no que tamén me submerxía. Autoconsumíame e pensaba: "si, isto é o meu". E volta outra vez ao mesmo punto en que comezaba a aborrecer. E ao final, tiña que deixalo pasar. Aparecía entón algo novo e diferente e metíame de cabeza.
This pattern caused me a lot of anxiety, for two reasons. The first was that I wasn't sure how I was going to turn any of this into a career. I thought that I would eventually have to pick one thing, deny all of my other passions, and just resign myself to being bored. The other reason it caused me so much anxiety was a little bit more personal. I worried that there was something wrong with this, and something wrong with me for being unable to stick with anything. I worried that I was afraid of commitment, or that I was scattered, or that I was self-sabotaging, afraid of my own success.
Este patrón causábame moita ansiedade por dúas razóns: a primeira, que non estaba segura de como convertir todo iso nunha carreira. Cría que ao cabo tería que escoller unha soa cousa, renegar do resto das miñas paixóns, e resignarme a aburrirme. A outra razón de que me angustiase era de índole máis persoal. Preocupábame que houbese algo malo niso, algo malo no feito de ser incapaz de aferrarme a unha soa cousa. Preocupábame ter medo ao compromiso; estar dispersa ou ser unha autosabotadora, con medo ao meu propio éxito.
If you can relate to my story and to these feelings, I'd like you to ask yourself a question that I wish I had asked myself back then. Ask yourself where you learned to assign the meaning of wrong or abnormal to doing many things. I'll tell you where you learned it: you learned it from the culture.
Se a miña historia, eses sentimentos vos soan familiares quero que vos fagades a pregunta que me gustaría ter proposto daquela. Preguntádevos onde aprendestes a asignar o concepto de errado ou anormal a facer moitas cousas. Direivos de onde o aprendestes: foi da cultura.
We are first asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" when we're about five years old. And the truth is that no one really cares what you say when you're that age.
Pregúntannos por vez primeira: "que queres ser de maior?" cando temos uns cinco anos. O certo é que a ninguén lle importa o que contestades a esa idade.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
It's considered an innocuous question, posed to little kids to elicit cute replies, like, "I want to be an astronaut," or "I want to be a ballerina," or "I want to be a pirate." Insert Halloween costume here.
Considérase unha pregunta inocua para lles sacar aos meniños respostas graciosas coma "quero ser astronauta" ou "quero ser bailarina" ou "quero ser pirata". Engadíde un disfraz de Samaín a iso.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
But this question gets asked of us again and again as we get older in various forms -- for instance, high school students might get asked what major they're going to pick in college. And at some point, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" goes from being the cute exercise it once was to the thing that keeps us up at night. Why?
Seguen a preguntarcho de diversas formas mentres medras. Por exemplo, aos estudiantes de instituto pregúntanlles que especialidade escollerán na universidade. Nalgún momento, "Que queres ser de maior?" pasa de ser un exercicio gracioso a manterte en vela toda a noite. Por que?
See, while this question inspires kids to dream about what they could be, it does not inspire them to dream about all that they could be. In fact, it does just the opposite, because when someone asks you what you want to be, you can't reply with 20 different things, though well-meaning adults will likely chuckle and be like, "Oh, how cute, but you can't be a violin maker and a psychologist. You have to choose."
A pregunta inspira aos nenos a soñar co que poderían ser, mais non os inspira a soñar con todo o que poderían ser. De feito, fai xusto todo o contrario. Porque se alguén pregunta que queres ser non podes dar vinte respostas distintas. Os adultos ben pensantes esbozarían un sorriso: "Que curriño, pero non podes ser á vez fabricante de violíns e psicólogo. Tes que escoller."
This is Dr. Bob Childs --
Este é o Dr. Bob Childs.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
and he's a luthier and psychotherapist. And this is Amy Ng, a magazine editor turned illustrator, entrepreneur, teacher and creative director. But most kids don't hear about people like this. All they hear is that they're going to have to choose. But it's more than that. The notion of the narrowly focused life is highly romanticized in our culture. It's this idea of destiny or the one true calling, the idea that we each have one great thing we are meant to do during our time on this earth, and you need to figure out what that thing is and devote your life to it.
E é luthier e psicoterapeuta. Esta é Amy Ng, unha editora de revista convertida en ilustradora, empresaria, profesora e directora creativa. Pero a maioría dos rapaces non oen falar de xente así. Todo o que oen é que van ter que escoller. Pero é máis ca iso. A noción dunha vida claramente definida está moi idealizada na nosa cultura. Esa idea do destino ou da vocación. A idea de que todos estamos destinados a algo grande durante o noso paso por esta terra, e tes que descubrir que cousa é e adicarlle a túa vida.
But what if you're someone who isn't wired this way? What if there are a lot of different subjects that you're curious about, and many different things you want to do? Well, there is no room for someone like you in this framework. And so you might feel alone. You might feel like you don't have a purpose. And you might feel like there's something wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with you. What you are is a multipotentialite.
E se ti non estás feito desa pasta? Cal é o problema se tes curiosidade por multitude de materias, se queres facer diferentes cousas? Non hai lugar para alguén así nese patrón. Podes chegar a sentirte só. Podes pensar que non tes un propósito. Podes sentir que tes algún problema. Pero non tes ningún problema. Ti es unha multipotencialidade.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
(Applause)
(Aplausos)
A multipotentialite is someone with many interests and creative pursuits. It's a mouthful to say. It might help if you break it up into three parts: multi, potential, and ite. You can also use one of the other terms that connote the same idea, such as polymath, the Renaissance person. Actually, during the Renaissance period, it was considered the ideal to be well-versed in multiple disciplines. Barbara Sher refers to us as "scanners." Use whichever term you like, or invent your own. I have to say I find it sort of fitting that as a community, we cannot agree on a single identity.
Unha multipotencialidade ten moitos intereses e ocupacións creativas. É moito dicir. Pode axudar se o divides en tres partes: multi-, potencial, e -idade. Podes usar tamén calquera outro termo que implique a mesma idea, como polimatemático, a xente do Renacemento. En realidade, durante o Renacemento, considerábase un ideal estar versado en varias disciplinas. Barbara Sher fala de nós coma "escáneres". Usa o termo que che pareza ou inventa un. Teño que dicir que para min ten un senso de comunidade, non se axusta a unha soa identidade.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
It's easy to see your multipotentiality as a limitation or an affliction that you need to overcome. But what I've learned through speaking with people and writing about these ideas on my website, is that there are some tremendous strengths to being this way. Here are three multipotentialite super powers.
É fácil ver a túa multipotencialidade coma unha limitación ou unha aflición que tes que superar. Pero o que aprendín falando coa xente e escribindo sobre isto na miña páxina web é que ten uns puntos fortes incribles. Velaquí tres superpoderes da multipotencialidade.
One: idea synthesis. That is, combining two or more fields and creating something new at the intersection. Sha Hwang and Rachel Binx drew from their shared interests in cartography, data visualization, travel, mathematics and design, when they founded Meshu. Meshu is a company that creates custom geographically-inspired jewelry. Sha and Rachel came up with this unique idea not despite, but because of their eclectic mix of skills and experiences. Innovation happens at the intersections. That's where the new ideas come from. And multipotentialites, with all of their backgrounds, are able to access a lot of these points of intersection.
Primeiro: síntese de ideas. É dicir, combinar dous ou máis campos e crear algo novo da súa intersección. Sha Hwang e Rachel Binx tiraron dos seus intereses compartidos en cartografía, visualización de datos, viaxes, matemáticas e deseño cando fundaron Meshu. Meshu é unha compañía que se inspira na xeografía para crear xoias á carta. Sha e Rachel atoparon esta idea orixinal non a pesar mais grazas ao eclectismo das súas habelencias e experiencias. A innovación aparece nas interseccións. De aí veñen as novas ideas. E as multipotencialidades, coa súa bagaxe, acceden a moitos puntos de intersección.
The second multipotentialite superpower is rapid learning. When multipotentialites become interested in something, we go hard. We observe everything we can get our hands on. We're also used to being beginners, because we've been beginners so many times in the past, and this means that we're less afraid of trying new things and stepping out of our comfort zones. What's more, many skills are transferable across disciplines, and we bring everything we've learned to every new area we pursue, so we're rarely starting from scratch.
O segundo superpoder multipotencial é a rapidez de aprendizaxe. Cando os "multipotenciais" se interesan por algo, vamos a por todas. Observamos todo o que cae nas nosas mans. Tamén estamos afeitos a ser novatos, porque o fomos moitas veces no pasado. É dicir, non tememos probar cousas novas e saír da nosa zona de confort. Aínda máis, moitas habilidades son transversais entre disciplinas e aportamos todo o aprendido a cada nova área que exploramos, polo que rara vez comezamos de cero.
Nora Dunn is a full-time traveler and freelance writer. As a child concert pianist, she honed an incredible ability to develop muscle memory. Now, she's the fastest typist she knows.
Nora Dunn é unha viaxeira empedernida e escritora free-lance. Como concertista de piano dende nena, perfeccionou unha incrible habilidade de desenvolver a memoria muscular. É a mecanógrafa máis rápida que coñece.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
Before becoming a writer, Nora was a financial planner. She had to learn the finer mechanics of sales when she was starting her practice, and this skill now helps her write compelling pitches to editors. It is rarely a waste of time to pursue something you're drawn to, even if you end up quitting. You might apply that knowledge in a different field entirely, in a way that you couldn't have anticipated.
Antes de convertirse en escritora, Nora foi planificadora financeira. Aprendeu os finos mecanismos das vendas cando comezou a súa práctica e esa pericia axúdaa a escribir convincentes discursos aos editores. Practicar algo que te atrae nunca é unha perda de tempo aínda que acabes abandonando. Podes aplicar ese coñecemento nun campo completamente diferente dun xeito que nunca puideches anticipar.
The third multipotentialite superpower is adaptability; that is, the ability to morph into whatever you need to be in a given situation. Abe Cajudo is sometimes a video director, sometimes a web designer, sometimes a Kickstarter consultant, sometimes a teacher, and sometimes, apparently, James Bond.
O terceiro superpoder multipotencial é a adaptabilidade: a maña para metamorfosearse no que precises segundo a situación. Abe Cajudo ás veces é director de vídeos, outras deseñador de páxinas web. Ás veces é consultor de novas empresas, outras veces é un profesor e outras, aparentemente, James Bond.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
He's valuable because he does good work. He's even more valuable because he can take on various roles, depending on his clients' needs. Fast Company magazine identified adaptability as the single most important skill to develop in order to thrive in the 21st century. The economic world is changing so quickly and unpredictably that it is the individuals and organizations that can pivot in order to meet the needs of the market that are really going to thrive.
A súa valía vén do seu bo facer. É incluso máis valioso porque pode ter varias funcións dependendo das necesidades do seu cliente. A revista Fast Company identificou a adaptabilidade coma a habilidade máis importante que debemos desenvolver para prosperar no século vinteún. O mundo económico está cambiando tan rápido e tan impredecible que os individuos e organizacións que poden pivotar axustándose ás necesidades do mercado son as que realmente van medrar.
Idea synthesis, rapid learning and adaptability: three skills that multipotentialites are very adept at, and three skills that they might lose if pressured to narrow their focus. As a society, we have a vested interest in encouraging multipotentialites to be themselves. We have a lot of complex, multidimensional problems in the world right now, and we need creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to tackle them.
Capacidade de síntese, aprendizaxe rápida e adaptabilidade. Tres habilidades ás que somos adeptas as multipotenciais. Tres habilidades que podemos perder se somos forzados a estreitar a atención. Como sociedade, temos un interese persoal en alentar os multipotenciais a ser eles mesmos. No mundo hai moitos problemas complexos e multidimensionais actualmente e precisamos pensadores creativos, fóra do común, para solucionalos.
Now, let's say that you are, in your heart, a specialist. You came out of the womb knowing you wanted to be a pediatric neurosurgeon. Don't worry -- there's nothing wrong with you, either.
Agora, digamos que vós sodes, no fondo, un especialista. Saístes do ventre sabendo que queriades ser neurocirurxáns pediátricos. Tranquilos, non tedes ningún problema grave.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
In fact, some of the best teams are comprised of a specialist and multipotentialite paired together. The specialist can dive in deep and implement ideas, while the multipotentialite brings a breadth of knowledge to the project. It's a beautiful partnership. But we should all be designing lives and careers that are aligned with how we're wired. And sadly, multipotentialites are largely being encouraged simply to be more like their specialist peers.
De feito, os mellores equipos están compostos dun especialista facendo parella con alguén multipotencial. O especialista pode afondar e implementar ideas mentres que o multipotencial aporta un abano de coñecementos ao proxecto. É unha colaboración preciosa. Todos deberiamos deseñar as nosas vidas e carreiras aliñadas co modo en que estamos feitos. Tristemente, os multipotenciais son animados con frecuencia a parecerse sen máis aos seus homólogos especialistas.
So with that said, if there is one thing you take away from this talk, I hope that it is this: embrace your inner wiring, whatever that may be. If you're a specialist at heart, then by all means, specialize. That is where you'll do your best work. But to the multipotentialites in the room, including those of you who may have just realized in the last 12 minutes that you are one --
Dito isto, se sacades algunha cousa desta charla espero que sexa esta: abraza a túa conexión interior, sexa cal for. Se no teu corazón es un especialista, entón, por todos os medios, especialízate. Aí alcanzarás os teus mellores logros. Pero ás persoas "multipotenciais" desta sala, incluídas aqueles que acaban de decatarse nos últimos doce minutos,
(Laughter)
(Risos)
to you I say: embrace your many passions. Follow your curiosity down those rabbit holes. Explore your intersections. Embracing our inner wiring leads to a happier, more authentic life. And perhaps more importantly -- multipotentialites, the world needs us.
diríavos: abraza todas as túas paixóns. Segue a túa curiosidade até o fin. Explora as túas interseccións. Abrazar a nosa conexión interior lévanos a unha vida máis feliz e plena. E quizáis o máis importante: "multipotenciais", o mundo necesítanos.
Thank you.
Moitas grazas.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)