Optimizing for the Long Term
Yesterday I was chatting with a friend.
Recently, he made a change in his newsletter to be more aligned with what he thought people wanted from him. He started sharing tactics and solutions, replacing his previous vulnerable, messy exploration to insight.
On one hand, this could make sense. It’s always a good idea to understand what people want from you — and what they find valuable. I’m all about serving other people.
But, there is a very real trap when it comes to building things that other people want — you can end up building yourself a prison of your own design.
After he shared that his newsletter was taking more energy than he was expecting — and that he wasn’t loving it — we stepped back and asked two questions:
What do you need to make things work right now? Do you need more effective tactics today?
Where do you want to be in 3-5 years?
As soon as we looked at the first question, he realized that he doesn’t — so it naturally makes sense to optimize for the long term, which, for him, was not about sharing tactics or solutions.
This opened the door for refection on what he wanted to build for the long term — and how he could start building the foundation today.
How freeing.
PS — This freedom is a choice that can be consciously cultivated.