Should You Do What You’re Good at for a Living?

Carrie was great at math and data analysis. She had a vice-president position in a company, putting those skills to use every day. She was good at her job, made a nice living, and had the respect of her colleagues, yet here she was in my office, telling me that she felt like she should be happier. She didn’t feel like she was really living her purpose.

It can be tempting to follow a path of least resistance and focus on developing talents, skills, and abilities that come easily to you. After all, why struggle to learn something if you don’t have to? However, it’s important to consider whether or not doing what you’re good at is really the right choice for you. Just because you have a skill doesn’t necessarily mean it will bring you joy or fulfillment.

The Analyst vs The Artist

Carrie played a critical role in helping her company get the most out of their data. By analyzing datasets, she uncovered patterns, trends, and correlations that provided insights into the performance of the company. They would then use these insights to develop more efficient operations, improve customer service and create marketing strategies. Through careful analysis, Carrie helped lead the organization towards success by providing insight into otherwise invisible trends.

Carrie knew she was good at those skills, and it did make her feel good to serve her company in that way, but she didn’t feel like it was what her real purpose in life was all about. She explained to me that she noticed a much greater feeling of joy when she was creating art in her home studio on the weekends.

Creating art is an immensely fulfilling experience for some people. It connects us to our creative side and allows us to express ourselves in ways words simply cannot. When Carrie poured hours of energy and soul into a piece, there was a true feeling of joy in seeing that art come to life. Art allowed Carrie to connect with her innermost self and ignite the passion within her.

So which version of Carrie was the right one? Which one should she have been doing for a living?

The Old Advice, “Do What You’re Good At” Can be Problematic

When people make decisions based off of their natural abilities, they may not be encouraged to try new things, experiment, or expand their skill set. This can lead to a limitation in discovering further paths of success that may become uncovered after challenging oneself with something unfamiliar.

However, this doesn’t mean one should completely disregard the advice – understanding what you’re naturally good at and leveraging it is still important. It’s merely a reminder that your natural talents may not be the only avenue to finding personal and professional fulfillment; sometimes taking risks and exploring uncharted territory can reap great rewards.

Carrie had found a job that let her do something she was good at: math and data analysis. Yet she was still not feeling fulfilled. She felt wonderful when she was creating art, but she didn’t think she could make the same kind of living creating art that she was making by being a vice-president. So should she stay at the VP job, or leave that job and open a studio?

There is an ongoing debate about whether it’s better to “live to work” or “work to live”. That’s what Carrie was really caught up in. She had old limiting beliefs, taught to her at an early age, that our identity is directly connected to what we do for a living.

Those in the “live to work” camp believe that one should be passionate and committed to their job, and make career goals an integral part of life planning. Career success should come first, before other pursuits such as owning a home or starting a family. On one hand, Carrie was living in that model, but she wasn’t living in it fully. Another part of her knew there was more to her life.

The opposing model of “work to live” posits that making money should take a back seat, with job security being viewed as a more important factor than achieving ambition at work. Having a good job that pays the bills allows people in this camp the opportunity for leisure, travel and creating family memories. Carrie was really a “work to live” person who had been living in a “live to work” model.

The Real Solution is Self-Awareness

As we explored Carrie’s values and beliefs, she came to understand that it wasn’t necessary for her to choose whether she was going to be the analyst or the artist. What she needed to do was figure out how to let the analyst and the artist coexist. We worked together to bring harmony to her life model.  We spent a lot of time talking about values and beliefs, and used the new awareness of herself that came from doing that to inform her actions.

Carrie changed the way she did things at work. Just because she was good at her job, it didn’t need to be the dominant thing in her life. She expanded the time and energy spent on creating art, but she didn’t make it her new career. Just because she was good at it, it didn’t need to be the dominant thing in her life, either.

As a result, Carrie felt more aligned with her true purpose in life. She was less stressed and worried, and more happy. She brought that happy energy to work, and she also claimed her personal time with joy when she wasn’t at work.