Are You A Scanner?

Many people cry with relief when they read Refuse to Choose for the first time. (It’s Barbara Sher’s book about the kind of people she calls Scanners.) I know that because they come onto her bulletin boards and say so, and more recently on Twitter too.

I suspect the part that causes the most tears may be a small section tucked in between the Acknowledgements and the Prologue, on pages vii and viii, before the proper page numbering begins. Its title is Are You a Scanner?

It might even be the most important part of the book, because here people learn for the first time that there’s nothing wrong with them after all. They have simply been misunderstood due to their brains working in an unusual way. What they thought was a problem is actually a precious gift. It’s a whole new way of looking at themselves.

If you think you might be a Scanner but haven’t yet managed to get hold of a copy of Refuse to Choose, (or the British and Australian edition called What Do I Do When I Want To Do Everything?) the next bit is for you.

Are You A Scanner?

by Barbara Sher

“I can never stick to anything.”

“I know I should focus on one thing, but which one?”

“I lose interest in things I thought would interest me forever.”

“I keep going off on another tangent.”

“I get bored as soon as I know how to do something.”

“I can’t stand to do anything twice.”

“I keep changing my mind about what I want to do and end up doing nothing.”

“I work at low-paying jobs because there’s nothing I’m willing to commit to.”

“I won’t choose a career path because it might be the wrong one.”

“I think everyone’s put on this earth to do something; everyone but me, that is.”

“I can’t pay attention unless I’m doing many things at once.”

“I pull away from what I’m doing because I’m afraid I’ll miss something better.”

“I’m too busy, but when I do find time I can’t remember what I wanted to do.”

“I’ll never be an expert in anything. I feel like I’m always in a survey class.”

If you’ve ever said these things to yourself, chances are good that you’re a Scanner, a very special kind of thinker. Unlike those people who seem to find and be satisfied with one area of interest, you’re genetically wired to be interested in many things, and that’s exactly what you’ve been trying to do.

Because your behavior is unfamiliar — even unsettling — to the people around you, you’ve been taught that you’re doing something wrong and you must try to change. But what you’ve been told is a mistake — you have been misdiagnosed. You’re a different creature altogether.

What you’ve assumed is a disability to be overcome by sheer will is actually an exceptional gift. You are the owner of a remarkable, multi talented brain trying to do its work in a world that doesn’t understand who you are and doesn’t know why you behave as you do.

And unless you know who you are, you’re going to agree with them! Not only would that be unfair and inaccurate, it could prevent you from developing your gifts and making your contribution to the world. The stakes are very high.

Identifying yourself as a Scanner means changing the way you see yourself in the world. It starts with understanding that you should stop trying to fit into the accepted norm at once and begin learning about who you really are. To help you build the productive future you were designed for, you need a set of instructions. That’s what I’ve tried to create in this book.

From: Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher, Rodale 2006