Be Careful What You’re Good At

04 Apr Be Careful What You’re Good At

Have you ever picked up a book and known pretty well immediately that it would change your life? This doesn’t happen to me often (although more frequently of late), but did when I cracked open The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte on the floor of a Chapters store a few years back.

I was having a particularly rough day that day, for which books are always the remedy. So I grabbed myself a Starbucks and plopped in front of the well-being section, seeking some kind of inspiration. And I found it.

I’d heard of Danielle LaPorte before. She was once a guest on one of my favourite podcasts (Good Life Project), and since that interview I have become an avid follower of her work. Which is how I found out about the books she’s written, of which The Fire Starter Sessions was her first.

Its bright orange spine jumped out at me from the shelves. Intrigued, I started reading. I can usually tell from the first page or two if a book will be right for me (or, more importantly, if it will be right for me right now), and Danielle’s writing had me. As in laughing while simultaneously fighting back tears because everything she was saying was so raw and real and painfully close to my heart.

Because I couldn’t sit there reading it all day (unfortunately), I decided to order my very own copy. After it arrived though, I didn’t pick it up right away. I think I became intimidated by all of the truths it would speak.

And did it ever. When I finally mustered up the courage to sit down and start reading it, truths came flooding in like a tidal wave. Truths that hit very close to home.

Like this one: “Be careful what you’re good at—you could end up doing it for years.”

Each of us is good at a wide array of things. But that doesn’t mean they should define us or limit our potential, which is often what happens.

Take me, for example. I’ve always had a knack for organization and attention to detail. These things certainly don’t light me up, I just happen to be good at them.

And in my corporate career, the problem was that in all of the different roles I had, these abilities are what shone the brightest to my employers. Brighter than all of the other wonderful, unique, and more valuable competencies I had to offer.

So I became the go-to person if a task required either (or both) of these skills. And any promotions I received were for roles that required even more of them.

Any time I tried to course correct by requesting work that was more in line with my interests, I was quickly dismissed because I was more valuable to the company doing the things I had proven I was “good” at.

After several years (and several different jobs), it became quite clear that unless I made some drastic changes and redefined what skills I wanted to be valued for, I would forever be an organizer extraordinaire.

This wasn’t an easy transition. I won’t pretend that it was. It took quitting yet another job and another career path I had invested thousands of dollars into pursuing. It took drawing a line in the sand so that others (and the universe) knew I was serious.

It took standing firmly and stating that I would no longer accept work that centred around these skills. It took courage to ask for what I really wanted.

I’m sure that each and every one of you is good at things you’d prefer to never have to do again. So why do you continue doing them?

Take a moment to assess your skills. The things that people come to you for. What your current job requires. Are these the things you want to be known for? Or do you feel like your dreams are slowly suffocating under the weight of your competency at tasks you truly despise?

Danielle sums it up perfectly when she writes, “If it doesn’t light you up, you’re not the right person for the job.”

Get clear on the skills you want to offer the world. List all of the talents you possess that also make you feel good when you do them. Focus on doing more of these things and eliminate (or do far less) of the others.