Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams

by Barbara Sher

you don’t always have to use things you love, and it’s not always so practical to be so practical.

Intense curiosity about numerous unrelated subjects is one of the most basic characteristics of a Scanner. Scanners are endlessly inquisitive.

A Scanner doesn’t want to specialize in any of the things she loves, because that means giving up all the rest.

is genetically programmed to explore everything that interests him. If you’re a Scanner, that’s your nature. Ignore it and you’ll always be fretful and dissatisfied.

interesting jobs for people who always called themselves Jacks-of-All-Trades, Masters of None—are showing up everywhere. The world of work is changing, and there’s never been a better time to bring the multitalented Scanner into the workforce.

Scanners love variety because they have brains that process things quickly and are ready for new subjects sooner than other people. They have special abilities in many areas, and they’re built to use them.

Scanners secretly refuse to choose. They sense they’re being stubborn. What they don’t know is that this stubbornness comes from a deep sense of integrity.

Most Scanners aren’t as attached to stability as other people. They seem to have retained the inborn security of a young child, the same love of what’s new, the drive to learn and understand everything they see.

While most of us find the prospect of change disruptive, even threatening, Scanners thrive on it.

someone with no tolerance for boredom, who is curious about almost anything new and has the ability to constantly process fresh material,

ko·an n: a Zen Buddhist riddle used to focus the mind during meditation and to develop intuitive thinking Q:How long should you stay at something? A:However long it takes to get what you came for. Q:How do you decide what you came for? A:You don’t, you discover it. Q:How do you discover it? A:You notice what isn’t there anymore when you feel like leaving.

When you lose interest in something, you must always consider the possibility that you’ve gotten what you came for; you have completed your mission.

See if you can think back to some of your past interests and remember at what point you started to lose interest. Can you put your finger on what was no longer there? If so, you can start identifying the Rewards that drive you to anything that appeals to you.

What are your ...

Activity

something did go away. It was the challenge to go from ignorance to competence, that steep climb to master something that demands every bit of focus I have. I love that kind of challenge. When it’s over, I want to leave.

very few people are as intensely interested in what they do as Scanners. Also, almost no one has such a low tolerance for boredom as Scanners—for them, boredom is excruciating. And, by definition, no one has as many different interests as Scanners. This makes their comings and goings very noticeable to the eyes of others.

The typical Scanner runs through her interests in record time because she has a big, hungry brain and her favorite food is learning. Scanners love learning more than anything else. And learning is what they’re most talented at.

Understanding your Rewards is like finding a long-lost birth certificate. It will help you understand your true identity.

the most common Rewards Scanners have mentioned to me.

Knowing how to do lots of things so I can always jump in and help; makes me feel capable

Insights, revelations, discoveries, glimpses that make me say, “I never knew that!”

Anything new: people, places,...

Having impact, being seen (like teachers, performers, ministers,...

Using all parts of myself, my logic, my intuition, my empathy, my abilities

Challenging myself, testing my limits, seeing how good I can be

Creating something that didn’t exist before, creating solutions to problems

Vision: imagining possibilities, building prototypes, getting things planned

Beauty: making things beautiful, having beauty around me, recognizing beauty...

Building expertise: a reputation, a...

Belonging: finding a community where I can be myself, be part o...

Discovering what’s going on, how things run, what’s b...

Pulling together the big picture, leaving nothing out, seeing relatio...

Saving the day: being competent and stepping in to fix things other peopl...

Helping others with my skills ...

Learning by doing, for example, how a carpenter builds a table, how to make maple syrup, how to speak a few words of a l...

the worst thing that can be said about a Scanner is that he doesn’t stick to things as long as other people think he should.

Rusty becomes a famous conductor. He needed to study all the instruments, because his instrument is the whole orchestra.”

Pay full attention for as long as you like, and when you find yourself losing interest, trust that feeling. There’s usually a good reason for it.

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you’re rotten Either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.

Benjamin F

am·a·teur n: from Latin: one who loves 1.Somebody who does something for pleasure rather than for pay 2.Somebody who has only limited skill in, or knowledge of, an activity 3.Somebody who loves or is greatly interested in something 4.Somebody who appreciates and wants to understand so many things that she can’t possibly specialize in only one field; i.e., a Scanner

You have no life-or-death decisions to make. You don’t have to give up anything you want to do. When your panic subsides, you’re going to realize there’s plenty of time to do everything you want.

Be honest. You’re not working for your own high standards; you’re working for someone’s approval.

Wherever you find a perfectionist, a critic is not far away.

Doing what you love isn’t a privilege; it’s an obligation.

If you’re pulling your own weight, you’re actually being selfish by not doing what makes you happy. The things that fascinate you exist because of some talent you were born with. You have the eyes to see what many people miss. That’s how talent affects all of us.

Sometimes the best cure for stress is failure!

when you’re panicked, nothing’s obvious,

Remembering that the way to get somewhere is to take one step at a time changes immobility to progress.

where will you go? When you’re involved in doing what you love, the path will always show itself.

Scanners who avoid commitment are taking an unnecessary detour from the very thing they want: a life full of learning, exploring new fields, and starting something new whenever they feel like it.