I think most people misunderstand what a real value proposition is.

It’s not a list of skills or a polished resume. It’s closer to an obsession. A specific area you keep coming back to, developed from passion and deep curiosity.

I’ve noticed that a lot of smart, capable people feel unfulfilled despite doing everything right. They follow the straight career and education path which I think is great, but only if you are 100% sure that it’s what you are obsessed with. If that’s the case, then the tunnel vision the straight path provides is more than enough for success. But if you aren’t standing ten toes down on what you are doing, then the straight path is going to leave you skill-competent, but interchangeable.

This is where obsession starts to matter.

In my eyes, if someone is both passionate about an area and curious to learn more, they are going to become obsessed. It becomes something they think about constantly, something they choose to go deeper into without being told to. It might be unhealthy at times, but when someone is both passionate and curious, it helps develop depth. That’s when you start to see things others miss. The real value proposition is the perspective you develop from that obsession.

For me, that’s hardware design. I’m curious about how things are built, and I care a lot about how people interact with them. That combination made me obsessed with how hardware, and design more broadly, is used to communicate ideas. I’ve developed a perspective on what good ideation and execution in hardware design looks like.

The definition of being the best in your field has shifted from being the most skill-competent to being the most obsessed. For anyone chasing their “dream job” or trying to build a real value proposition, I think it starts with pursuing your passion, then having enough curiosity to turn that into an obsession. That obsession builds a unique perspective, which is your real value proposition.

Let me know your thoughts on SubStack or LinkedIn, I still feel like something is missing.