About ten years ago while putting together a group where participants would help each other reach personal goals, I encountered an idea new to me - that people are inherently Divers (love to delve deeply into one passion) or Scanners (prefer to sample a lot of different interests simultaneously). Life Coach Barbara Sher, author of Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want, coined these terms. The idea stuck with me because I found it explains a lot of things that previously puzzled me: why do some people (myself included) seem to be unable to stick with one project, interest or career? Why did some of my students (I worked in education at the time) get bored so quickly? Were they really just being lazy or was something else going on?
After reading her book Refuse to Choose, written specifically for scanners, I realized that there was nothing wrong with me or with anyone else who feels "grabbed" by a multitude of passions and projects - we just need the right tools to help us make those great ideas real.
I also came to see that our culture appreciates the gifts and contributions Divers make, but finds it hard to "get" Scanners. Most career planning books assume we all want to do the same job or work in the same place 40+ hours a week - in fact, currently that's the only way most workers can get health benefits. When we're young, the adults most frequently held up as role models are divers - becoming President of the United States, Nobel Prize winner or best-selling author requires intense dedication to one burning ambition. Young adults are encouraged to settle on a career goal or college major quickly, with a minimum of exploration.
I read everything I could get my hands on and tried various authors' ideas out in my groups. In upcoming posts I hope to share them.
