There’s a strange thing that happens when you get really good at something.

You stop focusing on the work itself, and you start noticing the people around you.

You start seeing who actually knows what they’re doing—and who’s just… performing competence. Saying the right things, packaging ideas cleanly, nodding along in ways that sound intelligent enough to pass. And the unsettling part is: it works. It works on everyone else who’s also playing the same game.

But if you’ve been on the receiving end of real consequences—missed calls, bad decisions, things that actually affect people’s businesses, livelihoods, stress, families—you can’t unsee it.

So you sit there, in rooms full of people who sound confident, and you feel insane.

At the same time, you feel like the only sane person in the room.

I can’t tell if that’s a blessing or a curse.

What’s weirder is that, over time, the few other “real” ones start to notice you. There’s this quiet recognition. And also a kind of tension—because people are a little afraid of someone who can see through the game. Who can see the edges, the gaps, the consequences.

And then there’s the part that really messes with you:

What if you got this good at something you don’t even love?

You know your decisions matter. You know you can make things better, or at least less broken. But you’re not drawn to the work itself—you’re just pulled along by the weight of its impact.

So you end up in this loop:
Frustrated by people who don’t get it.
Aware that the stakes are real.
Unsure if you’re even in the right room.

And then you start wondering—

Maybe it’s not this room.

Maybe it’s all rooms.

Maybe most systems are just… this. A loose network of people, many of them guessing, held together by structure, momentum, and just enough competence to keep things moving forward.

And somehow—it works.

I don’t fully understand how.

I’m not even sure what the conclusion is here.

Just… a strange place to find yourself.

Good reminder

The amount of shit you can get done is inversely proportional to the amount of fucks you give

Hang on… we forgot the cheesy clickbait image for the plebs

IS THIS ILLEGAL? We discuss… and would love for your thoughts