How to find what you’re good at (and do what you actually enjoy)

Some lessons I've learned along the way...

Hi friends,

If you’ve been grappling with figuring out what you’re good at, what you love to do, and how to weave those insights into your career or next chapter in life — this post is for you.

I’ve had many stops and starts with this question. Maybe it will always be so. But I’ve learned that the journey isn’t wasted time. Every experiment, even the ones that “didn’t work out,” gave me invaluable data about myself.

I spent much of my 20s and 30s exploring: different degrees, jobs, volunteer roles, opportunities across countries and cultures. During those times, I wasn’t paying attention to joy, energy, or what felt easy for me. Instead, I followed what I thought was of service to others. Service has always been a high value for me, but I am evolving in my understanding of what this means — both at the level of principle and in practice.

Looking back, I see that none of that time was wasted — each path gave me skills, knowledge, relationships, and a deeper sense of what felt aligned or not.

Now, standing at the cusp of another new chapter, I realise that the clues were always there. The things I’ve loved doing, the skills that come naturally, the activities that make time disappear — I’ve known them all along. Some as early as childhood. Throughout my adult years, I haven’t always had the courage to face my gifts clearly, or I was too veiled by expectations, fear, or busyness.

And here’s the deeper truth: these gifts and potentialities were never mine to hoard. They are capacities given for my own growth and for the development of those around me. To discover what we are good at, then, is not just a career exercise. It is part of the spiritual task of aligning our inner lives with our outer actions, of living with integrity, and of offering our talents in service to something beyond ourselves.

“The purpose of life is to discover your gift; the work of life is to develop it; and the meaning of life is to give your gift away.”

— David Viscott

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi

Step One: Collect Your Data

Think of your life as a series of unintentional experiments. Every job, project, or even hobby has given you information. Gather that data by reflecting on:

• What brings me joy? (Not just what I can do, but what feels alive in me when I do it.)

• What do I naturally do well that others struggle with?

• What would I happily do for free because I simply enjoy it?

• When do I lose track of time because I’m absorbed in the activity?

• What do people often come to me for advice or help with?

Write these down in a notebook or journal. Don’t overthink. Let the patterns emerge.

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Step Two: Categorise Your Insights

Sort your reflections into three buckets:

1. Current skills, knowledge, and interests
   These are things you already do well or know how to do. They are your proven strengths. Maybe they’re what you’re most comfortable with doing.

2. Energising activities
   These aren’t just skills, but the things that light you up. Pay attention here: some of your skills may not actually bring you joy (and that’s important to notice).

3. Future curiosities
   What sparks your curiosity, even if you’re not yet skilled in it? This is where growth and possibility live. What you want to do doesn’t necessarily mean something you’ve always been doing; it may be a question of adaptation or learning.

"Just do right. Right may not be expedient, it may not be profitable, but it will satisfy your soul.”

— Maya Angelou

Step Three: Test & Implement

Don’t stop at reflection. Take action. My husband often tells me to find the smallest next step and just take that step before obsessing over the entire picture.

Here are three small, practical ways to move forward:

• Run micro-experiments: Pick one curiosity or joy-point and test it in a low-stakes way — a new article to read, a side project to sketch, a class to take, a volunteer role, a collaboration that has been sitting there but you’ve avoided.

• Ask for feedback: Reach out to people you trust and ask, “When you think of me at my best, what am I doing?” Their answers might surprise you.

• Re-align your work: Even if you can’t change your job tomorrow, adjust the proportion of your time toward activities that energise you. Start with 10%. Then consider how that goes and extend where possible. Then you may a) change your job entirely; b) find the 10% becomes 60% as you adjust roles and responsibilities (i.e. you change what is possible within your environment); or c) you do these activities outside of work because the first two options aren’t possible for you (yet).

“You have to decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you.”

―James Baldwin

The Bigger Point

Finding what you’re good at and what you love isn’t about one perfect job description or a single epiphany. It’s about building a practice of noticing: noticing where joy and skill intersect, noticing what drains you, noticing what feels like play.

And giving yourself permission to honour those signs — because when you align what is within you with what you bring into the world, you live more fully in truth.

That was my greatest barrier: internal permission. Permission to let go of what no longer served me (or others, by extension) and to step into work that felt more alive, even when it was uncertain.

Please don’t wait for clarity to drop from the sky. Use your life as data. Test, reflect, adjust. Over time, what once felt foggy begins to crystallise. I’m proof of this — and I believe we are each invited into this journey, because a world in need of healing requires every one of us to bring forward the best of who we are.

👉 Question: If you treated your own life as an experiment this week, what data would you collect?

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A final note. I haven’t done this alone, friends. I’ve worked with mentors who helped me see what I couldn’t see for myself, who asked the hard questions and held me accountable. If you’re someone who struggles with procrastination, overwhelm, self-doubt, or simply feels blocked by real or perceived barriers, having a guide makes the process far less daunting.

That’s why I offer mentoring now, too. It is a valuable companion on the path of aligning your inner and outer life, and stepping into your gifts with courage. If that resonates, you’re welcome to reach out.

Sending you strength and care,

Kat

Ready to move from reflection into action? I offer mentoring for those exploring what’s next, especially if you’re prone to overthinking, procrastination, or self-doubt. Together we’ll turn clarity into momentum. You can learn more by visiting my website or writing to me directly by messaging me on Substack or replying to this email (if you’re a Subscriber!).