Refuse to Choose!

We are Scanners, and this book helps, a lot.

I love Barbara Sher's [b:I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was: How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It 192832 I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It Barbara Sher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403179066l/192832.SY75.jpg 2789843], so when I found this book, I was overjoyed. I am a “scanner”, have my areas of interest that I go through cyclically, and I am great at everything, especially starting things, but I'm lousy at finishing things. I saw the movie Desk Set when I was a teenager, and I knew that would be my dream job, but I didn't know that it is a real job, or how to get it, or anything like that... so I didn't do it. Frankly, there's a lot of jobs I would have been good at, but I simply didn't know how to get that job. Like librarian or interpreter or translator. Anyway, this book isn't what I thought it would be. Of course it is good, and gives a lot of ideas, but it didn't have the same impact on me as “I could do anything...”

Do you have a problem answering this question: what is your passion? Do you have a problem sticking to one project? Do you suddenly dive into a subject and get obsessive about it, only to abandon it later because you got bored? Then this book may help you understand yourself better.

It's a shame that society shames those who don't complete projects, saying that it is a sign of fickleness or lack of discipline. It's a shame that people tut tut at those who desires to do more than one thing. Because these traits are perfectly normal for people called Scanners.

This book validates my often bizarre (to other folks) behaviour. I had often abandoned projects halfway, but although I no longer do that having trained myself to finish what I started and push through boredom, I have often felt ashamed of the trait. The same with my off tangent pursuits, which have little to do with my primary passion - writing. A lot of times its tough to choose what to do and I blame myself for getting “distracted” . A problem scanners really relate to!

Read this book to get a rundown in the strengths and weaknesses of this character trait, why it's so awesome and also for tips on how to manage it so you can have a more productive life. Scanners face unique emotional problems and often wrestle with career difficulties as companies often ask Scanners to specialise and that demoralised them. This book highlights steps to overcome them.

I have somehow instinctively done some of what Sher has suggested (which shows it does work) so this book was a source of validation, and to stop cringing when people sneer at or pooh pooh my “lack of focus”. Instead, I now tell myself: this may be a world where specialists are celebrated, but Leonardo da Vinci was a scanner so I am in great company!

Ps: Barbara sher runs a very active Facebook community called Scanners & Renaissance people, Great Careers for Scanners and scanners look what I made. If you are a scanner you will find much support there.