Karl is an amazing motion graphics artist who has won several Emmy Awards for his work at ESPN in New York. Not long ago, we had the chance to work together on a half-hour show for a major network.

I'll never forget the afternoon Karl walked into my edit bay to review some edits, and talk about the motion graphics he was building. As I played back the sequence, he looked at the monitor and pointed out how his graphic elements could support the messaging.

That afternoon as we kicked around ideas, and our discussion turned to storytelling, He said something that really caught me off guard. Karl looked at me and said…

"Paul, I'm not a storyteller. That's what you're good at.

What I do is motion graphics".

 

In just three sentences this talented designer told me he understands how he's wired. He knows his role. What he does well. And he's OK with that.

An important key to rethinking your hustle is understanding how you’re wired. Karl is wired one way and I am wired another. He loves designing motion graphics and I love the storytelling process. Together our skills "and wiring" complement each other.

Making You Gotta See This! videos -- and finding your lane -- starts by knowing what you do just...OK. And what you do...WELL. Then doubling down on what you do WELL.

Let me explain.

On a Scale of 1 to 10...If you're an 8 as a writer but a 2 as a graphic designer, you're wasting time designing graphics for your projects when you could focus on the thing you do best...writing.

If you're a 7 as a shooter but a 4 as a writer, trying to write copy would be a big mistake. You need to find a partner who is a 9 as a writer -- someone who can help you elevate your copy. Think about this...

Hollywood Directors don't make movies by themselves, they work with hundreds of skilled professionals who are each wired differently. At the studio level every one of these professionals is a 9 or 10 at what they do well, or they wouldn't be working.

You need to work with pro’s who are strong where you’re weak. I would have been foolish tying to create motion graphics for this show, when I have a rockstar designer like Karl working with me.

Doubling down on what you do BEST is one of the smartest things you can do to find your lane.