How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up

I vividly remember stumbling across Emilie’s Puttylike blog in 2012 and ravenously reading all of her archives in a day. I needed the validation that my multi-faceted, renaissance guy nature wasn’t “wrong” or didn’t make me destined to be unhappy as I sipped another of life’s experiences to see if I liked it. More than validation (which would have been enough), her writing then and her writing now with How to Be Everything gives me the strength to embrace my multipotentialite identify. I’ve used her stories and insights to find work that lights me up with the ability to use so many of my gifts or quirks. I use what Emilie calls “Group Hug Approach” – someone who wants to combine as many passions, skills, and creative outlets into a single role. With her help, I’ve been fulfilled as I share my love of (for example) bringing people together, small group facilitation, simple-living, and Excel spreadsheets … all in the same hour. And you know what? People find value in ALL I have to give, not just that small slice of me that I’d otherwise be able to show. HTBE is way more than just Emilie and her clever writing, though. She did some deep research and interviews to bring the stories and action items of other multipotentialites into the light. With all the thoughtful questions or practical exercises sprinkled throughout the book, you’d have to willingly not want to become a more complete version of yourself to finish reading without your own plan to explore your possibilities. The book is beautifully designed, has some hand-drawn images straight from Emilie, and is broken up into small enough chunks to jump in even if you only have a few minutes. However, I would like to see an updated version with an emphasis on shorter paragraphs and better transitions into the case studies and historical anecdotes. I can recommend How to Be Everything with every fiber of my being. So my hope is that you can benefit from Emilie’s multipotentialite world even half as much as I have.

I love the book and never read anything like this before. It's fun and useful, full of important information that opened a whole new world to me.

really dry read.