- Innovative ideas are generally the result of an intersection of concepts.
- As a result, people who have multiple passions in life may find it easier to generate innovative ideas.
- Enjoying a variety of hobbies and professional pursuits will likely prove advantageous in the long run.
Being one-dimensional is boring.
And yet, that is what we are taught to be for the majority of our lives. We are told, first in school, to pick "something" and then to stay the course. We pick our major (one is preferred, not two), which gives us one specific degree, intended for one type of job. This is proven by those that graduate with degrees in "Communications" and receive looks of confusion and condemning taps on the shoulder (there, there) that they'll "figure it out one day."
The world wants us to pick one thing.
Except none of us are just "one thing."
And where the world is going, "one thing" just doesn't cut it anymore.
Do you want to know why it's better to be obsessed, or at least interested in multiple things — instead of just one?
Because the intersection of all innovation requires two roads. That's the definition of "intersection."
In order to innovate, in order to move "one" thing forward, you need to combine it with a second element.
Uber didn't become Uber until the cab business was combined with the same type of technology we thought was reserved for ordering products to our houses (Amazon).
Airbnb didn't become Airbnb until the concept of staying over at a friend's house was combined with the same process we use to book hotel rooms.
Snapchat didn't become Snapchat until "secret notes" was combined with video messaging.
These are just a few obviously examples, but they are not the only ones.
All innovation happens at the intersection of two things. And sometimes those two things seem contradictory, or unusual, or opposite — until someone who has taken the time to understand both can see their unique parallels.
Do you know what has made me such an effective digital marketer?
It's because I have explored, in detail, extremely different and often opposite industries.
I have been a professional video game player. A classically trained pianist. A bodybuilder. A music producer. Long before I ever touched the world of digital marketing, I had amassed a wealth of extremely conflicting interests.
At the time, I was told this would lead me to being a "jack of all trades, but a master of none."
Today, I have found it to be my greatest asset.
You don't find solutions to problems by looking in the same spaces. You don't come up with anything new by keeping both eyes on your industry and your industry only.
In order to innovate, and spark change, and grow, you have to combine oils and waters. You have to put things that, on the surface bare absolutely no resemblance, and challenge yourself to find the parallels.
My years spent gaming are what I refer back to when I work with individuals building their Personal Brands. Why? Because gamers brand themselves better than anyone else out there.
My years spent producing music is what I refer back to any time I am working on a video project, and someone suggests using a score that doesn't fit — the music reinforces the story.
My years spent bodybuilding are what taught me so much about branding, and the importance of separating yourself in an overly saturated market.
The list goes on and on.
Being obsessed with multiple interests is your greatest asset — and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
In fact, I'd go as far to argue the opposite.
If your only aspiration is to master one thing and one thing only, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage in today's day and age.
Because you no longer just need to master your primary craft. You also need to master the tangential skills required to share that craft with the world, in the best way possible.
SEE ALSO: 10 US cities where you can save the most money by getting an Airbnb instead of a hotel
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