I think u/HansSerpii and u/toasterchild hit the nail on the head by talking about honing skills vs the myth of natural mastery.

I just wanted to add a podcast recommendation for Heaven's Gate.

Heaven's Gate is about a famous cult where members castrated themselves and gave up their worldly possessions.

I had always laughed at cult members and thought of myself as smarter, but this podcast nearly brought me to tears.

You come to realize these are normal intelligent people driven by the same deep dissatisfaction with themselves that we all share as humans.

I think it would be a valuable listen regarding potential, mediocrity, and one's purpose in life.