From Linear to Layered: Future-Proof Your Life with a Portfolio Mindset
AI-generated multi-coloured swoosh by Gerd Altmann - Pixabay
In our complex world, shouldn't we redefine success on our own terms to create dynamic, adaptable, and resilient portfolio lives and careers that align with us, fundamentally?
For too long, we’ve been told to pick a major, choose a career, climb the ladder, get that corner office, work to retire, and repeat. And if you’re not on this track? Shame on you for not “just figuring it out”.
Here’s the truth: “one path, one passion, one version of success” is done.
The world evolves - shouldn't our approach to success also evolve?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve tried the one path approach and it didn’t work….maybe like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
Having navigated 65+ roles across 40+ countries, I absolutely could not – and did not – follow a linear path, choose one lane, or pick one route. Rather, it’s been a journey along a superhighway of ideas and actions.
If you’re juggling multiple passions, projects, relationships, and side hustles, how do you prioritize and choose what your path looks like?
The Portfolio Mindset Methodology™ helps with the HOW - helping you create a multi-passionate life that’s unapologetically you.
Think of it as your blueprint for future-proofing your life and career, all while staying true to who you are, fundamentally.
The Problem with a Linear Success Path
Traditional success is seductive, stable, predictable, and respectable.
However, for those of us with curiosity, creativity, and multiple passions, it often comes at a cost: burnout, guilt, overwhelm, and disappointment.
Maybe you’ve been told you’re “too scattered” and “need to focus” or you’ve been stuck is safe mode, only to feel boxed in and unfulfilled.
Here’s the reality: linear paths are not built for humans who crave depth, variety, freedom, and meaning in more than one area of life.
And the more the world evolves, the riskier it is to tie your life and career to a linear one track path. It’s NOT the way the world works anymore.
To be future-ready, we must be adaptable, creative, and resilient in order to confidently move forward and make the positive impact we desire.
How do we start? By following The Portfolio Mindset Methodology.
What is the Portfolio Mindset Methodology?
The Portfolio Mindset Methodology™ is simple in theory and formidable in practice. It requires a shift in your perspective.
By curating your life and career as an ever-evolving portfolio of skills, passions, roles, projects, and careers, you create conditions for life and career success that are sustainable and satisfying.
In practice, The Portfolio Mindset Methodology™ includes:
Integration of Roles and Passions: Your career, creativity, relationships, and personal growth aren’t in competitions - they’re complementary.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Pivots aren’t scary; they’re opportunities growth. Your portfolio grows with you.
Alignment with Core Drivers: Decisions are based on what truly motivates and energizes you, not what “should”.
Iterative Evolution: Your life is a lab where you experiment, learn, and iterate to uncover your best self.
Imagine a life in which wearing many hats doesn’t feel like chaos — it feels like your superpower.
That’s the Portfolio Mindset.
So, how do we actually adopt this multi-passionate approach to living and working? By following my 7-step process outlined below.
STEP 1: REFRAME YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS
What does success mean and where does your definition come from?
Drawing from my extensive multi-passionate edupreneurial/life design career, I can assuredly say that re-evaluating your personal definition of success is a fundamental step in the evolution of a Portfolio life & career.
If your baseline isn’t expansive & fluid, how can your life and work be?
In order to create the life we want, we must stop trying to fit into someone else’s idea of achievement. Success is what YOU make it - it’s about creating a life that reflects your values, curiosity, and joy.
> Reflect:
What does success mean to you, not your parents, family members, colleagues, or boss?
Are there areas in your life where you’ve been reacting to external expectations of success, rather than your own?
> Personal Reflection:
A story from high school. As I sank deeper and deeper into the weathered beige polyester couch, surrounded by posters of sprawling university campuses and gowned graduates tossing caps in the air, I thought - THIS is my future! My well-intentioned guidance counsellor burst that bubble by telling me to “narrow down my interests and choose one career because right now, you have too many and you won’t succeed like that”.
Long pause, as she looks at the questionnaire and I stare into space. In her most convincing voice, she adds, “Jessica, I’m just trying to help – if you pick one thing and stick to it, life will be easier for you”. My response? Why the hell would I want to do that?
I never did choose one thing and instead have pursued multiple paths, fulfilling my desire for creative freedom, novelty, and adventure in life and career – which is my version of success.
Many years ago. I wrote my first personal manifesto, a collection of truisms that I wanted to live my life – we’ll share that another time. For now, trusting that a non-linear approach can lead to personal and professional success is the first step in the evolution of a multi-passionate Portfolioist who thrives.
> Actionable Step:
Write a personal “Success Manifesto.” It can be messy, fun, or wildly ambitious. The goal: define success in a way that energizes you, not drains you.
STEP 2: CLARIFY YOUR CORE DRIVERS
Your core drivers – or “throughlines”- are the themes and motivations that show up in everything you do.
They are the reason you get out of bed to connect, collaborate and create. These are your compass points for designing a multi-faceted portfolio life and career that feels coherent.
> Reflect:
What lights you up even when no one’s watching?
Which values, topics, or skills keep resurfacing in your life?
> Personal Reflection:
"So, what do you do?" a question that used to freak me out big time! How do I answer that? Over the years, my answer has shifted.
Early days; “I teach” OR “I’m an experiential educator who runs a life design coaching business and edits marketing materials and creates collages and facilitates decluttering trainings and presents motivational talks and writes about portfolio living and helps client organize their time and space and….” – whoa, big time TMI (too much information)!
Now, I lean in and say, “I’m a Portfolioist, which today means teaching _____, facilitating _____, developing _____ and then ____. Tomorrow will look different.
Some of my personal fill-in-the-blanks include: helping clients declutter and organize digital files, engaging college students in communications, inspiring readers to embrace Lagom via my blog, organizing my book resources, and/or pitching my keynote presentations to potential leaders.
It’s taken years to confidently express “why I do” and pursue a life and career guided by my core drivers – transformation, choice, and freedom.
> Actionable Step:
Name your top 3 core drivers (Ex: creativity, impact, connection,) and place them in a visible spot so your decision-making across work, hobbies, and personal growth is guided by what matters to you most.
STEP 3: INVENTORY YOUR ASSETS
Everything you’ve done — your skills, experiences, and passions — is an asset. Your portfolio thrives when you see these assets not as separate, but as interwoven possibilities.
> Reflect:
Which of your skills need amplification? More opportunities to shine?
Which of your skills are underused? Underappreciated?
What past experiences could be remixed for new opportunities?
> Personal Reflection:
One of the best ways to better understand what your assets are is asking for, and reflecting on, feedback from people you admire and trust. One of my favourites (from my friend Tracey W) is, “Jessica, your energy is contagious, your life lessons illuminating, and your messages inspiring - plus the fact that you can still a one-arm handstand is impressive!” illuminates several of the assets I wish to continue sharing with the world. Reflecting on this feedback reminds me to stay in my lane.
> Actionable Step:
Create a Portfolio Mind Map: list your hats, skills, and interests. Draw connections. Look for overlaps or gaps. This visual becomes your “dashboard” for future opportunities.
STEP 4: DESIGN YOUR MIX
A portfolio life and career have similarities to a financial portfolio in that balancing what goes in and what comes out is important.
This process is not static - some areas need more energy at any given time than others - which is the same for humans. Our bodies and minds tell us what we are interested in every day (laughing, smiling, feeling excited, getting up early, sharing good news, etc.) and it’s our job to listen.
> Reflect:
Where is your energy going right now?
What could you expand, reduce, or experiment with?
> Personal Reflection:
Based on current priorities, plans, and opportunities (in Nov. ‘25), this is my Career Mix Model, a snapshot of what matters most.
> Actionable Step:
Sketch your Career Mix Model (convert it into a pie chart for extra visual excitement) and revisit your mix monthly or quarterly to ensure it evolves alongside your priorities and plans.
STEP 5: EMBRACE EVOLUTION AND PIVOT
Pivots aren’t failures — they’re upgrades.
Just as an art portfolio develops when you add new colourfully designed and unique works of art, your portfolio life and career grow stronger when you experiment, learn, and iterate.
In today’s complicated and uncertain world, we must pivot if we want to remain engaged, connected, relevant, and ultimately, satisfied.
Developing a list of transferrable skills and “pivot options” is helpful as a way to manage the sure-to-come changes that life throws our way.
> Reflect:
What new version of yourself are you ready to embrace?
What will the hardest part of evolving be for you? Are you resisting?
What transferrable skills do you have that will help you pivot with purpose?
> Personal Reflection:
When the pandemic hit, so many of my go-to pathways — schools, stages, live workshops — suddenly disappeared. Like everyone, I had to reinvent myself by pivoting (was that even a word we used pre-pandemic?) and did so in my own upside-down way. I leaned on my portfolio skillset — teaching, facilitation, storytelling, writing — to “go digital” by leading interactive online workshops, creating the Get It Done! Decluttering and Accountability Club, writing a weekly blog, and baking sour cream pies to stay grounded and sane.
These forced pivots showed me that I could connect, create, and thrive in ways I hadn't imagined before - disruption became delicious evolution.
> Actionable Step:
Create a Pivot Plan: an inventory of your transferrable skills along with small experiments to test new directions without risking everything. Even tiny moves — a new course, a side project, or a short-term collaboration — count.
STEP 6: COMMUNICATE YOUR STORY
Your portfolio mindset only works if you can articulate it — for yourself and others.
A coherent narrative amplifies your value, while simultaneously clarifying your goals and increasing your confidence.
> Personal Reflection:
When people ask me what I “do,” I used to panic. “Uh…a bit of everything?” seemed like the safest answer. But my portfolio mindset taught me something better: I can own my story. I’m a Portfolioist — a multi-passionate, hat-wearing, project-juggling adventurer who thrives on curiosity, connection, and creative collaborations.
I started by looking at all the paths I’ve walked — teaching, coaching, writing, speaking, facilitating, creating — and realized it’s not random. It’s a pattern: a life designed to explore, experiment, and evolve.
Once I could articulate that story clearly, magic happened. Doors opened, people understood my value, and I felt confident in accepting - this is me, and here’s how all my passions work together.
“I’m a multi-passionate portfolioist who teaches others how to pivot with purpose and passion.”
“Today’s Monday and I’m teaching presentation skills, writing about Ikigai, and creating a collage in class.”
Your portfolio only works if you tell your story. Speak it, write it, own it.
> Actionable Steps:
Craft a Portfolio Narrative: a concise, authentic story that links your roles, skills, and passions.
Practice introducing yourself – memorize several versions to use in different situations.
STEP 7: SUSTAIN YOUR SYSTEM
Like any good plan, a portfolio needs ongoing care in order to flourish.
Without routines, support, and reflection, it’s easy to get distracted, lose confidence, and burn out.
Tools:
Weekly/Quarterly/Annual Review: celebrate wins, reset intentions, and realign priorities.
Rituals: daily, weekly, or monthly practices to reflect, recharge, and recalibrate.
> Personal Reflection:
Like any good plan, my portfolio life needs ongoing care to work. Without routines, support, and reflection, I get easily distracted (thanks ADHD brain), lose confidence, and burn out. My process is a little messy, very colourful, and an ever-evolving process unique to my needs and emery levels.
My tools of choice include multiple journals (for teaching, writing, business projects, and personal goals) for capturing ideas and action steps; a whiteboard for seeing the big picture, a paper-based day timer for capturing wins, intentions, and priorities, a shared digital to manage life and responsibilities, and multi-coloured sticky notes on all surfaces that act like breadcrumbs for my next steps.
While I do try to maintain consistency to sustain my life and career, uniformity - in any form - is not my strong suit. Over time, I have come to accept that my energy and focus are inconsistent, as is my output. This realization has helped me sustain – and stay connected to – the portfolio life I’m continuing to design.
> Actionable Steps:
Keep your portfolio life and career on track by completing a Portfolio Canvas - as seen below
Complete weekly, quarterly, and annual check-ins to celebrate and realign.
Use journals, whiteboards, sticky notes, timers, and digital tools to capture ideas and track progress.
Stay flexible — consistency is good, but honouring your energy, creativity, and messy brilliance is key.
CONCLUSION: LESS LINEAR, MORE LAYERED FOR AN A+ PORTFOLIO LIFE
The truth? There is no single “right path” to life and career success. One thing I know for certain is that a linear path no longer works in today’s complex and rapidly changing reality.
Only your path — one that blends curiosity, purpose, creativity, and courage – is what’s needed to create a life of purpose and passion.
The Portfolio Mindset Methodology™ offers a way forward that’s:
Flexible enough to pivot when the world changes
Purposeful enough to keep you energized and engaged
Future-proof enough to keep you thriving for years to come
Your first step is to pick one action — write your success manifesto, map your skills, inventory your assets, or experiment with a mini pivot.
Start small. Start now. Stay Squiggly.
Here’s the thing…as the world keeps reinventing itself, isn’t it time you reinvented your version success by creating a life that’s brave, bold, and unapologetically yours?