It’s only an asset if you let it

A natural corollary of recognizing opportunity is realizing what’s an asset and what isn’t.

Thing is, it’s entirely subjective.

I’ve written a blog post pretty much every day for the past 6 months. It’s rare that a day goes by that I don’t think of something to write.

And so, arguably, this practice is an asset.

But it doesn’t have to be.

I could give it up. Make this my last post. Acknowledge that it’s a sunk cost and move on.

Or consider, that it doesn’t have to lead anywhere. That just because I write everyday doesn’t mean I have to be a professional writer. (Lots of people—liberal arts degree majors, for example—probably write more than I do and their work goes mainly unnoticed).

The point is, sure I can use this practice, this platform, as an advantage. I can wait for it to grow to a (maybe) 100K followers and (maybe) find a way to monetize it. Or I can use it as a de facto portfolio for freelance clients. Or as launching pad for a prosperous career.

Or I can just let it be a practice. A helpful habit that I don’t put too much effort into. One that helps me keep my thinking clean more than it helps add numbers to my bank account.

Alas. The benefit we get from the benefits we have are proportional to what we make of them. That sounds obvious, and it is. But it’s something we all neglect too often.