If you can make money with your talents, why not? — Steve Prefontaine

If you can make money with your talents, why not?

Author: Steve Prefontaine

Insight: There's a tension most of us feel between doing what we love and doing what pays. Steve Prefontaine's question cuts right to it—if you've got a genuine skill that people will pay for, there's something almost stubborn about refusing to use it. The money isn't just money; it's validation that what you do has real value to other people. It's freedom, too. Monetizing your talents often means you can do more of what you're good at, not less. But here's where it gets tricky: making money from something doesn't always ruin it, but it changes the relationship. There's a difference between being paid because you're skilled and being shaped by what pays. The real tension isn't whether to use your talents for income—most of us have to—but whether you'll let the income-part become the whole point. The best version of this is when the money enables you to keep doing the thing deeper, longer, with less desperation. Money can buy you freedom from distraction if you're intentional about it. The honest answer is context-dependent. A talent that funds your actual life? Take it. But pause if accepting the money means abandoning the parts that made you talented in the first place.