Do what feels effortless. No, I mean it.

There is this clichéd epic narrative that the #HustleAndGrind bros and #Motivational boss babes like to repeat to sell their self-help books: the grueling journey of a seed, relentlessly fighting its way against all odds from the dark depth of the Earth to blossom into a magnificent tree. And then they use that overly exaggerated narrative to make us feel guilty if we're not hustling and grinding 24/7.

The reality that any gardener, or anyone who knows basic botany understands is: Nature does not like to fight. Nature always wants to seek the route of least resistance.  This volunteer tomato plant that seeded itself in a random spot in my garden was my most productive plant of the season, far out-performing the plants that I gruelingly toiled to cultivate in an artificial greenhouse. 

Why? Because that volunteer seed planted itself in the environment most conducive to its growth. It knew that spot in the garden had the optimal soil, the right pH balance, the perfect amount of moisture, and the abundance of sunlight it needs to grow as a tomato plant, true to its nature.

When I was trying to compete in the tech world as a programmer, I did okay but I wasn't successful. That's because I was not born to be a software developer, no more than I was born to be an NBA star.  My competitive advantage is not in coding, nor basketball. But when I realized that the root of my competitive advantage lies in my ability to communicate with words, to close the gap between the business and the programmers, to articulate what each side cannot....that was when clients started requesting me by names.

I'm not saying that the journey will be free of challenges. Of course there will be obstacles to overcome or we won't grow. But there is a difference between riding the intimidating waves that still steer you to your destination, and repeatedly banging your head against an immovable wall.

Is everything I'm doing now easy? No. But do they feel effortless to me because I'm working with my predestined, natural gift? Yes. Much like the volunteer tomato plant that knows where to plant itself, I work with what I was already given, and everything else just fall into place. And I’m not going to let hustle culture make me feel guilty that I didn’t choose “the hard path.”