A generalist asks, "what could be?"

Dear generalists, 

 On Monday I asked you - “what could be possible if we, as a society, made room at the table for generalists? For diversity of thought? For different ways of approaching problems? For folks who are the glue that bind everything together”. 

 I got an email from someone after reading this open letter who said it had made her cry… This stopped me in my tracks. As we dig deeper into what it means to be a generalist together, it's becoming abundantly clear how deeply we all feel this. How important is it to recognise your generalist nature, after so many years of feeling broken or not good enough. With every generalist I meet, the more deeply I feel conviction to bring this into the world.

 And today I'd like to open up the conversation even more. 

 It's a feeling we all know. The struggle to find our place in a world that is built for specialists. When you don't fit neatly into one box, it can be difficult to explain who and what you are to the world. As such, many of us have felt broken, isolated, and unheard, with the belief that the only way we can have the success like others, is to have to give up what we've come to believe makes us unique. 

 When the first few folks started arriving in GW mid last-year (s/out to the OG's!!), it was like looking into a mirror. Comments like “I had no idea there were more of me” and “it feels like home” solidified that this space is unique, and really, really wanted. 

 Now, let's rewind for a min. I was 15 years old when I was told to choose a path. History & geography or maths and science. You are supposed to, as a child, pick a single thing, and stick with it, to focus on it and climb a career ladder, getting more and more niche. The more I think about this, the more it astonishes me. I can't stop wondering.. what happens if you spend years climbing the ladder, only to realise, you hate heights?

 One of the things that I've seen in Generalist World is that many, many people who are in their 30s and 40s have come to recognize that their path as a generalist is a feature, not a bug. Even though the world has been telling them over and over to specialize, what they actually have to offer comes from being a generalist. The concept of the university major, the career ladder, the notion of “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, is all designed for specialists. 

 So, this brings me to today's question. 

 We're told to "accept who you really are", but what does that really mean, for those of us with a generalist nature?

 To me, it means being able to articulate what you want, not just all the things you could do. So, instead of applying for jobs and hearing “we don’t have a role for that”, or missing out on opportunities because you didn’t specialize.. it means that accepting your generalist nature looks like being able to define what you ARE excellent at, and having the language to communicate this. 

 Embracing your limited time and infinite curiosity. A common theme with generalists is that there’s so much we want to learn and do and explore, but just not enough time. Generalist World isn’t just a community for, say, finding a job. Embracing who you are means being around people who get it when you say, I’m thinking about learning how to code… or maybe getting my yoga teacher training… or you know what, I'm gonna learn to make cheese! Whatever it may be! This is a space where your curiosities are welcomed. I've come to find that following my curiosities has led me to the most incredible places. 

 Finally, embracing our generalist nature also means knowing we can’t do/learn/be it all, and that doesn’t mean we aren’t enough.

 I feel really privileged to have had conversations with so many of you. To hear of the challenges you face, how you're desperate to work on a variety of projects, but you're scared of being judged for it. I'm here to tell you - embracing your generalist superpower is serious work. It's hard. It takes courage and confidence. And as I see more and more folks adding ‘generalist’ to their LinkedIn bio's and publicly talking about their generalist strengths, honestly, I'm freakin' beaming with pride!! 

 We are a community of people who are coming together as generalists to celebrate our unique strengths and find ways to embrace and share our skills—in our day jobs, in our side hustles, in our hobbies, in our personal lives. Being a generalist isn't even a choice, it's just who we are. 

 Friends, you can't be what you can't see. Being around other generalists who are kicking goals, helps you to see what's possible. I can speak from my own experience of reading through the #introductions channel on Slack, and being totally flabbergasted by the breadth, calibre and talent that we have amongst us. Next week I'll be sharing some of my fave generalist stories from the community so far!

 If you're sitting there with light bulbs going off in your mind, knowing deep down in your gut that the traditional, linear path just isn't for you, you are welcome here, just as you are. If you finally feel like you're amongst kin, come along to the community to share your story, your challenges, your hopes and aspirations. 

 Click here to join the Generalist World community 🙌

 And so, I ask again, “what could be possible if we, as a society, made room at the table for generalists?”. 

 The possibilities are infinite ✨

 Have a great weekend ahead, 

 Milly.