A tweet by David Perell inspired me to write this post, but before I share the tweet and my thoughts, I have a confession. I struggled for years to fit in specific spaces, but it was not until August 7th that I realized it was time to stop trying to fit in and start doing what came naturally to me.
The Consultation
On Monday, August 7th, I had a 20-minute consultation with Mr. Dexxter of socialvideoplaza.com about my YouTube channel. Dexter was honest and shared his unbiased thoughts. I was excited to proceed with Dexxter’s suggestions, but after doing market research in the niche I planned to pivot to, I concluded that it was not wise to proceed. Time is valuable, and I do not want to misspend it.
So, I decided to finally walk away from a dead YouTube channel (yes, it is dead) to focus on what is natural for me to create. It was a bitter pill, but I acted accordingly when reality stared me in the face.
The Tweet That Solidified My Decision
While checking my Twitter feed, or should I say ‘X’ feed, a tweet from David Perell, caught my attention. David is the “Writing Guy” who tweets about writing, learning, and business. His tweets are helpful and eye-opening. Below is David’s tweet:
*Some of you may not have a Twitter/X account, so I have copied the second part of the tweet for you to read.
We don’t choose our gifts. They choose us.
A mark of maturity is surrendering to the person you actually are instead of the one you wish you were.
Most people never get such clarity, and they’re stunted for life.
The decision to surrender to your gifts is more painful than you’d think. You can’t really choose what you’re able to be excellent at because you don’t get to choose the hand that nature dealt you.
Instead, if you’re going to be world-class, you have to align yourself with your fingerprint. In our insanely competitive world, surrendering to your talents is your only chance at becoming world-class at what you do.
I suspect less than 10% of people ever surrender to who they really are. They spend their whole lives trying to fulfill a fake and manufactured image. And so, they get trapped in hollow careers and meaningless pursuits where they’re forced to be somebody they’re not — the stuff of a cold and haunting misery.
Surrender is terrifying at first. It comes with a loss of control. Chances are, you’ll disappoint your parents, teachers, and probably even yourself.
If you’re doing it right, you may even pursue low-status projects. Hate to break it to you, but the vision you’ve always had for your future also won’t come true because that vision was predicated on the person you wish you were, not the person you actually are.
What feels like the death of your dreams is actually the birth of something much more profound. There’s ease on the other side of surrender.
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What I did after I read David’s tweet
I hit the retweet button and gave David a big cyber high five. Monday, I finally decided to focus on the things that come naturally to me, and on Tuesday, I read a tweet that affirmed what I believe. Sometimes, when we do not know what direction to take, the way we need to go is shown to us more than a few times, and that was the case for me.
Final Thoughts
When you do not know what to do, pause, breathe, and wait. Then look at what excites you, what you naturally do well, and what gives your soul life. There lies the answer to the direction you should take. Sometimes, the choice you make is a complete 360-degree turn. Some people will not understand your sudden change, but you do not need others to understand because you know your assignment, which is all that matters.
Do not run away from your gifts; instead, lean into what comes easy for you; the gifts and talents you were born with. You will see amazing things happen when you tap into what you do well.
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