What are you actually good at?
[published Mar 28, 2025 ****- Read on Substack]
I can’t tell if this post is boring or only interesting to me. LMK in comments (if you don’t comment I’ll take the hint.) But I do think there’s something here for people who struggle with this unconventional career path. So if you’re up for it, come along with me as I share my framework for uncovering your talent. Not Passion. Talent.
me at the loom circa 2016. i was not good at weaving. i was good at designing ☺︎
Over a year ago, I queued up a podcast I was a little embarrassed to press play on: How to Get Rich by Naval Ravikant. It’s based on a tweetstorm. It’s three hours long. And yes—it’s full of bro-y Silicon Valley takes.
But underneath all that, there’s something I keep coming back to.
Naval talks about specific knowledge—the thing you’re naturally good at. The thing you can’t fake. The thing others can’t quite do like you.
It reminded me of Scott Galloway’s take on passion vs. talent:
“Anyone who tells you to follow your passion is already rich.”
(apologies for 2-in-row tech bro notes)
Passion gets you started. Talent—or your version of specific knowledge—is what keeps you going. It’s your edge. Your leverage.
For a long time, I thought my edge was passion. I had so much of it I believed I could power everything on energy alone.
I wanted to be a sculptor. I got into art school as a sculpture major. I was all in. But I also needed to survive. So I pivoted to graphic design—a trade I could get paid for. That shift wasn’t about giving up on passion. It was about building around talent. A strategy for staying creative and staying afloat.
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