Do you have so many interests that you can’t seem to get anything done? This is the audience to whom Barbara Sher speaks in her book Refuse to Choose.
The Big Ideas
- There are many scanners in this world. A “Scanner” is a person with myriad interests and strong desires to pursue them all, yet has trouble committing to one interest (job, hobby, college major etc.).
- With a variety of alternative “Life Design Models” available (a comprehensive method of organizing your time, tasks, and environment to fit your goals), it really is possible to do everything on your life list, even if you are a scanner.
- Every passion you pursue doesn’t have to take the form of a career. What’s more, it’s okay to drop a hobby or job and move on, once you’ve gotten what you came for.
In a Nutshell
When you were a kid, you had big dreams! Maybe you thought you’d travel the world as a photojournalist while simultaneously being a marine biologist, and also becoming a world-renowned poet. You were sure that you could do it all. But then, when you were 12 or 17 or 21, you learned that you were expected to pick just one thing for a career, and do that thing for the rest of your life. You had to choose.
This just in: according to this book, you don’t have to choose.
Are you a Scanner? Look for these qualities in yourself or your family members:
- Scanners have varied interests. It seems like they want to learn about everything under the sun, from dog grooming to particle physics. They might have a dozen different hobbies and no time to pursue them all.
- For Scanners, it’s boring to do the same job or follow the same routine week after week – they thrive on variety. In some cases, a Scanner might spend months or years deeply intrigued with one topic, then lose interest and move on to the next fascinating thing.
- Most Scanners have a hard time committing to one career or educational path.
But wait, isn’t that just Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? It’s true that ADHD folks might share some characteristics with Scanners. In fact, some Scanners do actually have ADHD. But being a Scanner is not a problem to be fixed with behavioral techniques or medication. According to this book, some of the most celebrated geniuses of Western history had Scanner characteristics – big names like Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin. The Scanner personality is a unique way of experiencing (and influencing) the world.
There are two types of Scanners. A person who seems to return to similar interests again and again is a Cyclical Scanner. In contrast, a Sequential Scanner enjoys a series of unrelated interests one after another, appearing to drop each interest completely when a new fascination emerges.
Scanners thrive in alternative Life Design Models. For example, you could follow the schoolteacher model: nine months in one job or location, followed by three months elsewhere. Or your best model could be that of a physician: two days at a hospital, two different days in an outpatient office, and occasional working vacations to attend conferences. Some Scanners are happy holding a “Good Enough job” that provides an income to subsidize their true passions. Others might prefer an “Umbrella Career” that allows them to explore multiple interests one at a time, such as freelance writing.
Quotables
You must explore the workings of who you are, not who you believe you ought to be… Just observe what you do without judgment and try to understand yourself. The more you know, the better your chances will be of creating the life that fits you perfectly.”
IMEO (In My Eudaimonian Opinion)
This book offers a positive reframing of the word “dilettante” (someone who dabbles in many experiences rather than becoming an expert in one field). In modern times, this word is typically used as an insult. Previously, however, someone like this would have been admired as a “Renaissance man” (or woman). The Scanner concept, as well as the specific advice given for each Scanner type, is a strengths-focused way to formulate a meaningful career and a happy life. This book will be useful to adults who recognize the Scanner qualities in themselves or family members. And in a world where the average American changes jobs every four years, this book models a valuable approach to flexible career planning that will inspire children and teenagers as well as adults.
Take action, humanoid!
When there’s a passion you want to pursue but you’re not sure how to make it happen (or how to find the time!), try these basic steps:
- Make a “backward planning flowchart” with sticky notes. Establish a target date for your end goal, then work backward to define the steps that will get you to that goal.
- Look for missing pieces in the flowchart. These could be places where you’re not sure how to get from one step to another, or perhaps fears that arise about a particular step.
- Fill in the missing pieces with “Reality Research.” First, use the words “What If” to describe what worries or confuses you about pursuing this dream: “What if I write a book and no one likes it?” Then, ask yourself: What is the best way to get an answer to this question? (“I can write one chapter and then ask Jane for constructive feedback.”) Finally, take that step.
- Use the buddy system so that someone will be checking in with you about deadlines for your goals.
The Deets
Refuse to Choose: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams
Author: Barbara Sher
Publication date: 2006 (270 pages)