I Refuse to Choose - Understanding Scanners
via Amazon.com
It’s over 4 years ago now since I discovered Barbara Sher and her book Refuse to Choose. It’s been such a significant step for me that I actually marked the day in my diary, and I acknowledge that day each year as my ‘breakthrough’ day.
I came by Sher’s name through a somewhat tortuous route. I think I’ve been trying to understand myself most of my life, and once I got into work I went where my interests and learning took me, but I was always looking for more, or at least the next direction, the next new experience. At some point down the line, I went and got private careers advice, and it was during that session that I came to believe that becoming a careers adviser myself was what I should be doing. It was only years later, after leaving a company I’d been with for 17 years in one form or another, that I achieved my goal.
Looking back now, I think my desire to help others in their career search was really fuelled by my own desire to understand myself. I eventually got the opportunity to do some psychometric testing during this time, and it was then that I began to comprehend my make-up in some detail. It turned out that my psychometric profile was rather rare, only a small percentage of people had a profile that fitted into these sorts of categories, and though I was basically told I had the ability to do whatever I wanted, because I had multiple and diverse interests the careers professionals really weren’t equipped to help me take the next step forwards.
Being who I am, of course, I wasn’t able to just pick an interest and run with it, and so I began my own research. I’d been quoted a term, ‘highly gifted individual’, and unlike highly gifted children, who are basically geniuses in (usually) a specific area, the term meant something different in an adult. Basically, it means that a person has reasonably high abilities in all areas, and that, is seems, was me. So I kept traipsing through the internet, following avenues and dark alleys, and not really getting anywhere. But on the 9th March 2016 I found a link to Barbara Sher, and I haven’t looked back since.
I came by Sher’s name through a somewhat tortuous route. I think I’ve been trying to understand myself most of my life, and once I got into work I went where my interests and learning took me, but I was always looking for more, or at least the next direction, the next new experience. At some point down the line, I went and got private careers advice, and it was during that session that I came to believe that becoming a careers adviser myself was what I should be doing. It was only years later, after leaving a company I’d been with for 17 years in one form or another, that I achieved my goal.
Looking back now, I think my desire to help others in their career search was really fuelled by my own desire to understand myself. I eventually got the opportunity to do some psychometric testing during this time, and it was then that I began to comprehend my make-up in some detail. It turned out that my psychometric profile was rather rare, only a small percentage of people had a profile that fitted into these sorts of categories, and though I was basically told I had the ability to do whatever I wanted, because I had multiple and diverse interests the careers professionals really weren’t equipped to help me take the next step forwards.
Being who I am, of course, I wasn’t able to just pick an interest and run with it, and so I began my own research. I’d been quoted a term, ‘highly gifted individual’, and unlike highly gifted children, who are basically geniuses in (usually) a specific area, the term meant something different in an adult. Basically, it means that a person has reasonably high abilities in all areas, and that, is seems, was me. So I kept traipsing through the internet, following avenues and dark alleys, and not really getting anywhere. But on the 9th March 2016 I found a link to Barbara Sher, and I haven’t looked back since.
What is a Scanner?
Sher, a best-selling author and general helper and counsellor when it comes to careers and finding your way, had identified me, and the people like me, as something she calls Scanners. She did this, firstly because of feedback and reaction to a chapter in a previous book, and secondly because she was a Scanner herself.
And what is a Scanner? Well, apart from what I’ve described already you might use the word polymath, and others use multi-potentialite, multi-passionate or Renaissance man/woman. Basically these unique people have many interests and a love of learning. And you might say, well I’m interested in a lot of things, but unless you’re actually a Scanner (and you might be) then it’s probably not quite the same thing. Scanners’ brains are wired differently – not only do they love learning, but they learn very quickly, are able to jump on either the more detailed material faster than average, or learn so quickly that they appear to get bored quickly too. What you won’t realise is actually a Scanner will have already ‘got it’, understood what they need to and are ready to move on and learn the next thing. We’re not all the same either. Some are highly creative in the arts, others with generating ideas. Some will have an extremely broad range of interests, but will keep coming back to them as they learn more and more about their favourite breadth of subjects, whereas others wouldn’t dream of covering a subject more than once, knowing there’s always more interesting topics to move on to. Me? I’m actually a mixture of both – cyclical in my pastimes, but always striving forwards in my working life.
Some may think that being a Scanner would make life easy, being able to pretty much do whatever you want, but there are a whole range of pitfalls. Like being told, ‘Well just pick an interest and go with that…’ Sounds simple doesn’t it, but you may as well have asked a Scanner to choose a limb to be lost, or to choose their favourite child and leave the others behind – permanently! It’s just impossible when you’re equally interested in ‘everything’.
And what is a Scanner? Well, apart from what I’ve described already you might use the word polymath, and others use multi-potentialite, multi-passionate or Renaissance man/woman. Basically these unique people have many interests and a love of learning. And you might say, well I’m interested in a lot of things, but unless you’re actually a Scanner (and you might be) then it’s probably not quite the same thing. Scanners’ brains are wired differently – not only do they love learning, but they learn very quickly, are able to jump on either the more detailed material faster than average, or learn so quickly that they appear to get bored quickly too. What you won’t realise is actually a Scanner will have already ‘got it’, understood what they need to and are ready to move on and learn the next thing. We’re not all the same either. Some are highly creative in the arts, others with generating ideas. Some will have an extremely broad range of interests, but will keep coming back to them as they learn more and more about their favourite breadth of subjects, whereas others wouldn’t dream of covering a subject more than once, knowing there’s always more interesting topics to move on to. Me? I’m actually a mixture of both – cyclical in my pastimes, but always striving forwards in my working life.
Some may think that being a Scanner would make life easy, being able to pretty much do whatever you want, but there are a whole range of pitfalls. Like being told, ‘Well just pick an interest and go with that…’ Sounds simple doesn’t it, but you may as well have asked a Scanner to choose a limb to be lost, or to choose their favourite child and leave the others behind – permanently! It’s just impossible when you’re equally interested in ‘everything’.
I do have to be different
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So since discovering I was a Scanner (and not some kind of freak), I’ve been working on understanding myself and attempting to learn that modern society isn’t set up for me, that I do have to be different, and that I refuse to choose and have to learn how to make life work for me.
It’s no easy job, that’s for certain, but I have learnt so much about myself this far. Now my task is to find ways to tailor my future to allow me to embrace my Scanner tendencies. And however independent you are, this can’t be done alone. Barbara Sher has written many books for many types of people, and I love a lot of them, but I’m biased and Refuse to Choose will always be my first love when it comes to her work, because it tells me I’m not alone, that there are others like me, and for those who have felt different in their life it’s always a huge, welcome relief to find you belong somewhere. And the great thing is, I don’t have to just read about these people in her book, there are online Facebook groups and forums that prove it, with people demonstrating and sharing what they’ve done, learnt or are going to do… I have to say, I’m a Scanner and I’m proud, and if you’re a Scanner too, think you might be, or think you know someone who could be, I can’t recommend her book enough. And if you’re not certain, head over to YouTube and find her Scanner videos – then perhaps you may find out if you’re a Scanner too… |
In fact here's a couple of her videos that will help...
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