Six episodes in, and I'll be honest with you: a big part of this podcast so far has just been finding my voice. Figuring out how to present myself and my personality. And I've landed on a principle I want to hold myself to for as long as I do this:
"I want to be as authentic as possible. I want to be the same person here with you right now then I would be if you saw me on the street."
Same guy. No character. That's the whole operating system for this week's episode — being ruthlessly authentic, finding your calling, unlocking creativity, and investing in yourself.
"What Do You Know That We Don't?"
One of the best moments I heard this week came from You Choose with Billy Garton Jr. — the episode "The Art of Being Ruthlessly Authentic." Billy asked his guest a question that stopped the room: what do you know that we don't know?
The answer shocked everybody.
"Myself. I know myself."
I love that. There's this great cosmic joke in the universe: people try to copy something that made someone else successful — same words, same format, same script — and it doesn't work for them. You see it on social media all the time. Somebody steals a script word for word, and the original has two million likes while the copy has two. Because the powers that be are up there chuckling: you thought we'd make it that simple?
You're Meant to Succeed at YOUR Calling
Later in that same episode, Billy shared a line I'll never forget:
"The worst thing that God could do for you would be to let you succeed at the thing that isn't your calling."
Read that again. If you're trying things and it isn't working right now — just stop, and consider that maybe you're being protected. Maybe doors are staying closed because they were never going to lead to fulfillment anyway. If it isn't working, say thank you and choose again.
That's the flip side of authenticity. It's not just "be yourself" as a bumper sticker. It's the much harder discipline of figuring out what your calling actually is — and then having the guts to stop doing everything that isn't it.
"You're meant to succeed at your calling, not someone else's."
I'm doing my own thing here on the pod. I'm not trying to copy anyone. Obviously I listen to a lot of podcasts, so I pick up ideas about what works — but I'm learning from other people's success, not cloning it. You've got to find out what your calling is and really invest in that.
The Real Creativity Is the Idea
We talked about AI again this week (I know, I know), but from an angle I keep coming back to: the real creativity is not the output. It's the idea that allowed the thing to be made.
"The real creativity is the idea that allowed the thing to be made."
The prompt is where the creativity is. The drawing, the finished movie, the generated song — those are just the process of building the thing. So don't be afraid to use AI to help you build your dreams. You're still the creator. The vision is yours; the tool just helps you storyboard it faster.
Three Questions Worth Sitting With
I also got into the three big questions — the ones philosophers chew on, but honestly they're for truck drivers too:
1. Why do things happen the way they do? (the coherence question) 2. Why am I doing what I'm doing? (the purpose question — and is it in accord with my beliefs?) 3. Why does my life matter? (which really means: to whom am I acting?)
That last one hit me. It's easy to chase the adoration of strangers or more control or more money and call it purpose. But the question is whether your life is pointed at the people it actually matters to.
Invest in the Thing You Love
And here's where it all lands — the practical part:
"Just keep investing in the thing that you love to do. That's going to add the real value to your life."
Not the gold chain. Not the brand-new car so your friends will like you. Once you know the thing you want to do, spend your money on that. Spend your time on that.
And if you're struggling? Good. I've been through a lot of failures — starting different things, thinking it was going to be something, and then it wasn't. Those things are what build your character. Character comes first; then the path to wisdom opens up; then you get to be ruthlessly, uniquely you.
So here's my message: don't be afraid of being yourself once you know who you are. Scratch that creative itch. Make the best thing you can and put it out there when it's ready. And if people don't get it — oh well. Just keep creating.
Thank you for listening. I'll see you next week.
Show notes
- Main theme: Being ruthlessly authentic — finding your calling, unlocking creativity, investing in yourself
- Spark: You Choose with Billy Garton Jr. ("The Art of Being Ruthlessly Authentic") — "What do you know that we don't?" → "Myself. I know myself."
- Key line (from the You Choose episode): "The worst thing that God could do for you would be to let you succeed at the thing that isn't your calling."
- The three questions: Why do things happen the way they do? Why am I doing what I'm doing (and is it in accord with my beliefs)? Why does my life matter — i.e., to whom am I acting?
- On creativity & AI: "The real creativity is the idea that allowed the thing to be made" — the prompt is where the creativity is; AI is a tool for the bigger vision
- On money: Invest in the thing you love doing, not status symbols — that's what adds real value to your life
- On failure: Failures and struggle build the character you need before you can get on the path to wisdom
- Podcast meta: Episode 6 — Kevin on finding his voice and committing to being the same person on-mic and off; 8 listeners at last metrics check; not monetized, listener support via Cash App