How To Manage Multiple Interests

I’m A Multi-Passionate Maniac.

If there’s ever been a person so contradictory, so diverse, that his interests go a wide range of topics that’s me.

From a minor interest in music growing up, to a real drive for e-commerce, to wanting to learn how to code (yes, I was a part of a 12-month coding program), to venturing into finance, to dabbling with acting, and now all in on content creation.

I am probably going to be one of the most multi-passionate person you’ve ever come across, which is why this video is more important than ever. Because I haven’t just been this way for the past few years, I’ve been this way my entire life. Has it worked to benefit me or to my detriment? You will find out. Because as you can tell, I’ve got quite the advice to give on having multiple interests, how to go about managing them, and more importantly what not to do.

But before we start, please understand, no desire is wrong. You might have been raised up to believe that your feelings are fake. But I’m here to say that if you truly have an interest in an area, if it truly comes from you, then that feeling is real.

Feeling something in your body is as real as it gets.

I say that to say this. Anything that comes from the mind you can’t totally trust because it’s logical, it’s been wired in you from external forces. It’s reasoning.

This video will therefore not go against having multiple interests because the multi-passionate game is not one that should destroy you, but one that should build and prepare you for life. Because in life, nothing goes unnoticed. Every single thing counts. What you do and what you don’t do counts. The good counts and the bad counts. The aim is to be a lifelong student in the midst of all your interests. To see what hits home, and what doesn’t.

A part from those diverse interests I mentioned at the beginning, I still have the issue of juggling multiple interests now. Although I am pursuing what you would call writing, storytelling, marketing, branding – my mind still does go “should I try that other thing instead”. So, strap in, this one’s going to be long but at the end you should have a clear direction on what you need to do if you are anything like this. I will give you a process to follow that will help you if you are this type of person because I am too.

One thing I want you to do, however, is grab a pen and some paper and write down anything that makes sense. If at any part of this you have an “ah ha” moment, then write it down.

Now, let’s get straight to the problems of having multiple interests.

The biggest one is that when you are attracted to everything, or should I say every new thing, you don’t get to see how good you can be at one thing. And the main point here is how your focus is totally destroyed. You are doing it to yourself. When you approach multiple interests, your focus is literally splintered in multiple directions. And when that happens, you cannot really enjoy the fruits and labour of your work in one area. You cannot truly come to the end of something and see how good you can really be in that area.

Quite luckily, I can say that for myself I didn’t do all of the interests I had all at once. That would have been impossible.

But instead, I gave myself the time to:

Understand why I felt a certain way about an interest Actually take the initiative to approach the interest Act on it long enough to discover whether it was truly for me or not. You need to stay on something long enough to understand whether it is for you or not. That’s the important thing. When you do multiple things at once, you don’t have time for that.

To thrive in this new century, you must embrace being a polymath or a modern-day renaissance.

We no longer live in the past where you would master one thing. That doesn’t work now. Try it and you will realize how you can’t be one dimensional and succeed in this new age we live in. You must pursue and build yourself in all the interests you do have, because funnily enough, that’s what leads to success.

What’s more fascinating is how if you are self-aware, you will acknowledge how all of your interests somehow link. If you don’t see it now, you will soon.

Clearly from my own life, the one advice I can give you is to take one experience at a time. Don’t destroy focus. Don’t splinter your attention, because when you do, you get mediocre results. Split attention gives split results. Results you will not be impressed with. Another way of saying this; when you’re focused on everything, you get nothing.

And in fact, something even worse happens here. When you focus on everything, you end up dropping everything. Why? Because you are getting mediocre results. Why continue anything when you get mediocre results? Someone that gets results like that may commit for a while, but they won’t continue without at least decent results. And if you’re getting results like that with all of your interests because you’re pursuing all of them at once, you will eventually drop them all. I can almost guarantee it.

When Do Move On From An Interest?

What I would say is move on to other interests only when one has become repetitive, and you have become somewhat competent in that interest. This is extremely hard to do because at that level of being a master at one thing you get very comfortable. This is another problem. You master one interest and have now become very comfortable doing that one thing for a very long time.

However, that’s not the purpose of this video. If you are a multi-passionate, and highly likely you are if you’re watching this video, you have no problem pursuing different things. Because quite literally, that is our strength.

BUT, and this is BIG. The problem often isn’t that you have mastered and become comfortable at one interest, but rather you have multiple interests and don’t know how to choose or continue when you do start one. That’s the purpose of this video anyway.

And most people, like we discussed earlier don’t allow enough time for growth. There is a concept called “The Shiny Object Syndrome”, and before they become competent in one area, they are immediately attracted to the next thing. But that isn’t what you should do. What I’m saying you should do is become knowledgeable and experienced in the interest before you move on. It’s a process. If you have to force yourself to do something, then just drop it anyway because more often than not, you aren’t actually attracted to that interest but have rather been conditioned to become attracted to it. Remember the mind? Via the mind through reasoning and logic.

Therefore, the best way to pursue an interest is to see it like the beginning stages of a marriage. Hear me out. Strong interest in the beginning, strong interest during the honeymoon, and then interest gradually drops (at least that’s how I’ve heard it goes). Because the point where the interest drops is where you become knowledgeable and experienced through persistence and iteration. You see. The deeper you go the more you tap into the juices of the interest. And that’s what I want you to do. The moment it feels like a drag, persist and iterate. Don’t become attracted to the next new thing, stay on it and see it through.

The 50/50 Rule

What relates to this is what I call the 50/50 rule. I may have made this up, or I might have stolen it from someone else. But what I’ve realised from delving into multiple experiences is that in any endeavour, there is always going to be the 50% you love and the 50% you hate. It’s a part of the same coin, but different sides. This is what social media has fooled you into believing. That doing something you love will mean you definitely don’t have to do anything you dislike.

Wrong. In anything you do, there will always be the 50% you dislike. For example, a musician may love his/her work, but they still have to do things they dislike, like dealing with tax.

And so, here comes the harsh truth. Following an interest may not be fun. It certainly might feel fun at the beginning, but more often than not, the fun will wear off. What I know for certain from experience is that it will certainly not be fun “all the time”.

Valley Of Despair

A great way to describe this is with the Valley of Despair concept.

This is a concept in psychology and self-improvement which describes the process of having an interest, following it and the aftermath.

In anything that you pursue, there is always going to be a low point in growth. This happens when you get really high or excited on a goal. The interest will sooner or later begin to drop which is the valley. And if you’re asking when it sets in – when reality sets in, and progress feels slower, harder, or even stagnant. This is the stage everyone goes through, and is where you may feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or doubt your abilities.

The Valley of Despair shows you how much more you have to learn or improve.

It is the gap between initial excitement and actual progress.

And here we come to the idea of iteration and persistence yet again. What’s needed is persistence and resilience to push through to the other side, where “knowledge”, “experience”, and “mastery” becomes attainable.

Some might be at this stage a very long time. And if you’re asking how long it really lasts depends on what you’re pursuing:

If you’re learning a new skill, it may take a few weeks to a few months If you’re going through a major lifestyle or personal change (e.g. career switch), it may take several months If you’re undergoing a very complex project or goal (e.g. building a business), it can take up to a year or more Breaking through the Valley of Despair phase is the key to growth. I believe it’s actually “the lonely chapter” that most people go on about. And if you want to overcome it you will need grit, small wins, and consistent effort.

Reacting To Feelings Of Overwhelm

The other thing is you might be overwhelmed by how different your interests are. I’ve definitely had this (I think you can tell by the interests I pursued). So, on this feeling of overwhelm, what I would say is don’t put your focus on what your interests are, but instead the qualities that the interests bring.

Your interests might not be similar, and I think that’s the whole point. But what you’re forgetting is that almost all of your interests bring a similar-like quality. Me doing a 9-5 job and social media simultaneously developed the strong quality of me showing up. Because I literally have to show up for both. I had to upload videos and go into the office to work during weekdays. So, on this, focus on the transferable qualities and that will ultimately lessen how lost or overwhelmed you feel.

Solutions

I think I got everything off my chest. But what is the final solution? The solution is to continue being the generalist that you are, but with full focus on one thing.

There’s no harm in being a generalist and wanting to expand your expertise but make sure you do it with full focus. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time. A great example I can use that applies is content creation and how when you focus on one single social media platform, that’s when you tend to grow the most. But when your focus is divided to multiple platforms, you stall. This advice goes for any part of life. Don’t split your focus.

Take this process and mix it up however you like if you do have multiple interests:

Take the seasons approach: Add a timeframe for each passion. Give different interests a dedicated season. For example, focus on one interest for 3-6 months. This allows you to dive deep without neglecting your other core interests. Do the 80/20 approach: Give 80% of your time to one core passion. And the other 20% to minor interests, like reading, working out, etc. Create overlapping goals: Find the common ground that overlaps between interests. For example, I have a strong desire for business, writing, and speaking. So, I mix them and create content while building products that can help others. A combination of all (if you want to go deeper into how this all works, there is a free guide in the description.) Do passion audits: Every few months reassess your interests. Identify which ones are still exciting and meaningful. Reallocate time and energy if certain ones feel less aligned. If you are in your 20s, then I hope you realise that you have decades to go. Obviously no one knows when you’re going to die, but for the sake of this video let’s just say you have decades, like myself. And if that is the case, ask yourself, “why do I need to do everything now?”. Seriously, when I asked myself that question, everything got easier.

Take out a piece of paper, write down all of your interests and passions, and prioritise them. If maybe you have multiple ones that align, then you can combine.

You can’t get everything, it’s impossible. So let the low ranked priorities for later on in life. Not everything you’re interested in needs to be done now; it can be left for the future.

A final tip I would give is to focus on interests where you have a personal advantage. If you see something on the list where you think to yourself “no one can do this but me” this is where you’ve got an unfair advantage. It is your strength. So, make use of it.

That’s all I’ve got for now. If you do have strong desires of owning your life and work, and being a creative, there’s a link to a free guide below. Only do this if you are an online creative. It will teach you the basics of branding, persuasion, content, and marketing which are all foundational skills you need to be successful especially in our day and age. I can only help those doing what I do or have done in the past half a decade. Link in the description.