Just because you could be good at something doesn't mean you have to do it.
Too often, it seems our parents gave the advice "if you can be good at something and it makes money, do it."
But you don't have to.
The truth is that you could probably be good at 10 things. Or 50 .
But there's not always time for that.
So it becomes about values. Would I rather be good, or enjoy the work?
I'm trying to avoid diving head first into a cliche here.
We "know" that it's important to enjoy the work, but it's easy to feel like if we are "good" then everything will be fine.
That the only thing preventing me from enjoying the work is being low-status while doing it.
I've learned that achieving high-status for work I don't enjoy is only a brief rush. The work is still the same.
On the flip side, being low-status at work you love can be strangely enjoyable. The only direction to go is up.
"Will I make money?" is often a scary thought, but there's a good chance you will. Especially nowadays. If you really love what you're doing, if you do it with enthusiasm, there's usually someone that will pay.
On a recent episode of The Tim Ferriss Podcast, Michael Lewis said he often doesn't like advice. But if there's one thing he's always remembered, it's a tagline from his high school baseball coach: "don't be good, be great."
I think that mindset is key.
Being good means competing with everyone else. Being great means competing with yourself.
Quote I'm Pondering
"It's not the waking, it's the rising."
– Hozier
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