Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer.
So, why can't I be a career woman, yogini, Reiki master, gem grubber, shamanic practitioner, professional clown, mother, chef, cheese maker, goat farmer, world traveler, writer, photographer, painter, sculptor, teacher, student, chemist and gardener?
Well, I have been or will be all of these things, plus some, I am sure.
See, I'm just not satisfied with mastering one single thing. But, I am far more than a mere dilettante. I am more of a modern day Renaissance woman.
Some in society would see my various interests as mental illness or ADD or just some desperate act of trying to find myself. There's also this inner critic I have battled for years. The voice that keeps telling me that it's more noble to conform to the idea of becoming really good at just one thing and sticking to that.
But, I can't help it - learning curves turn me on! I just feel like the world is full of possibilities and that I want to experience as many different things in this lifetime as I possibly can.
I was recently chatting with a friend of mine about these different interests of mine. I told her about a graduate level class in Bioelectricity that I was dying to take. Then, I jumped to my passion of creating an energy lab in my basement for the study of auras. I told her of all of these different things, and then some.
At one point, I stopped and that inner critic started in on me again. For some reason, as I reflected on the diversity of everything I wanted to tackle, I started feeling like a fraud. Like a dabbler. Basically, I was feeling ashamed. So, I asked her if she thought maybe I was nuts. She assured me of my sanity, and explained that I was simply a Renaissance woman. I am sure she was right.
Understanding this part of myself that yearns for diversity and freedom, has been profoundly important in allowing me to lean into the discomfort of being something other than what people think is normal. Doesn't mean I'm crazy or selfish or a failure, just means I'm special. I'm good with that!
If you want to be a lot of different things in this lifetime, I would encourage you to set your soul free and do it!
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love (1973)