What Are You Good At?

I finished reading Zero to One by Peter Thiel over the weekend. Again. About two-thirds into the book, Thiel asked the reader, “What are you good at?”

Most job interviews asked something of the sort. I asked it embarrassingly a lot to myself to the point of appearing narcissistic but I swear to you, it’s closer to boosting up self-confidence than admiring any. 

Despite the number of times I asked myself this question, I was stumped by it once again as I ended this particular chapter in the book. I couldn’t get it out of my mind for most of the weekend so I sat down and scribbled for until the sun set and the city lights woke up.  

You know how when you do something enough times you get better at it? I think it even applies to figuring out what you are good at. 

One simple tactic is asking close people around you. Thankfully, I have great friends/bosses who indulged this question. I’ve reviewed it enough times to triangulate the handful of traits/skills that seemed to unify from school (university + high school), work (bosses from each different field), and entrepreneurs I’ve met through OMDV. 

Then it’s a matter of canceling and connecting dots. For example, a feedback I received a lot was “disciplined.” I think a big factor was most of my friends don’t like training at the gym five/six times a week and keeping simple/boring diets. But that’s not something one is “good at.”

I just happened to love something most did'n’t so it appeared disciplined. Same for work-related skills. I appeared like I was great at financial modelling because the consultants around me weren’t that great. I found out I wasn’t very good when working around rocket scientists. We all know the story of “Yeah I killed high school calculus so I thought I was good at math…then I went to university” story. 

Though I did it before, I needed to dig into the first principles again: The thing I was actually good at. Ideally, I looked for something I was good at that others hated doing (a nod to Paul Graham’s essays for this insight).

This was key. The thing you are good at needs to be something that looks like a chore/annoyance/work to others but not to you. Like me training in the gym for 4 hours. I feel guilty for doing this….but this doesn’t mean I should be a full-time athlete since there are those far better than me in the sport of strength. 

There are character traits too. I love taking personality tests….almost enjoy it too much. But those give ideas of traits and are helpful in forming narratives. Another common feedback I get is that I always tend to challenge core beliefs. This isn’t really something one is “good at”….but a trait I think.

It’s the “wiring” thing Buffett talks about for investors. Some people are wired a certain way to always try and seek a different path. Some absolutely don’t give a fuck what others think and they make great activist investors (i.e. Carl Icahn). I’m definitely not there. 

But aspects of discipline and challenging conventions seem to be rooted in the act of building systems. As the proverbial planner who will account for hourly weather reports to plan out travel itinerary… this is something I love…rather it’s like breathing because it’s so natural. 

This nature of mine is suffocating for some (and I’m working on coexisting….) but it’s what gives the illusion of discipline or challenging conventions. 

I don’t want to get distracted by social media? Okay, I’ll journal about it and delete all the apps off my phone. Just another system for building environments. I don’t want to eat junk food? I only buy ingredients to make exactly the same healthy meals every day. Just killing choice. 

Sometimes it looks like challenging conventions…but it’s just that when you make a system…what other people are doing is too inefficient to even do. It’s like what Joey said in Friends, does a blind man walk with his eyes closed when he gains sight? Nope. 

This wasn’t anything particularly new. I figured this out a few years ago when I was deciding what to do with my life after investment management. But it seems like I might’ve forgotten about it. 

Yes, yes, people evolve and they’ll get better at certain skills….but so far… this seems to be the thing I’m good at. It’ll probably serve me well to not forget it and use it to guide me in the future as well. 

Today’s thought seemed….more self-absorbed than most of my daily thoughts….for which I do apologize. But maybe this is an exercise you can take up yourself?