Multipotentialite: How I Connect Business and Education

They said, “You have to choose between Business and Education.” But they complemented each other, and I always knew it in my gut that I belong comfortably in both realms. Similarly, students are relegated to silos of educational disciplines via courses or major declarations, but reality dictates that integrated knowledge provides greater bases for decisions. That is one of the reasons I created Genius School, Inc.

There is a term for people like me, I am a multipotentialite. That is, I have a lot of knowledge, strengths, and areas of insight and experience. Chalk it up to 50 plus years of living and having a low threshold for boredom. In fact, I have a joie de vie for learning all kinds of things, which I believe garner me the right to crow a bit about them.

With humility, I do have some weaknesses; but at the end of the day I am a teacher. And although my LinkedIn profile chronicles my professional climb, there is much more in my bag of resources and network.

Through my escapades I have designed and sold both residential and commercial security systems. There were also sales ventures of clothing, fine furs, skin care, Native American pottery and jewelry. I’ve mastered a number of eclectic cuisines, created various marketing campaigns, taught myself and made money while staying home with my kids doing medical transcription, taught elementary Arabic, middle and high school social studies courses, homeschooled one of my children, taught standardized test reviews, became a school guidance counselor, managed a diverse staff when I served as a school administrator, provided training to schools, managed a number of professional development events and am an accreditation specialist. I have sourced and shipped container loads of products overseas through one of my companies, counseled business owners, taught entrepreneurship workshops, put together a trade magazine, written articles, promoted other companies and organizations, and designed and managed websites and social media campaigns. On the home front, I have painted, gardened, fixed plumbing, changed countertops, installed ceramic flooring, changed the sump pump, repaired electrical wiring and installed fixtures, and handled basic automotive maintenance. Lately, I am exploring several aspects of visual content creation for another of my businesses. Besides these, I enjoy dabbling in foreign languages, various forms of athletic pursuits, and reading up on the environment, geography, nutrition, and medicine.

In some cultures, one gets shot down for bragging about accomplishments; but I think having done a lot has seasoned and gifted me with wisdom and the capacity to teach and help other people to learn, create, and build.

Education is the common denominator; business is the instrument to actualize that knowledge for the benefit of mankind. I have been truly blessed that I can indulge my curiosity on a number of fronts. That diversity is what characterizes a multipotentialite. If you want to know more about this topic, visit puttylike.com. Who wants to join me?