The long-view and its benefits
It goes without saying that people who think ‘long-term’ often benefit from it.
It’s (arguably) how Roosevelt won us WW2. And certainly how MLK won us the dream he'd had for decades. How Jeff Bezos went from mere book distributor to eCommerce tycoon. And how Elon Musk, of course, has managed to pull off some of the most impressive entrepreneurial feats of modern history.
It turns out that taking a long-term view can help us in our personal and professional goals, as well.
Consider: If you’re immune to the daily happenings of Wall Street or Washington, you’re not going to pay much attention to them (you don’t need to). Instead, you can invest (your time and money) in the right places, and leave your assets (your emotions, your family, your life) out of it.
Case in point: Last weekend, rioters concerned about the election results turned up in DC, prompting unnecessary violence. 4 people were stabbed. Countless people wasted their weekend. And no one is better for it. I wonder where they’d be if they thought long(er)-term: about the next election, or perhaps the next 50 years.
Or consider that if you’re a change-agent seeking to make an impact, to make the world a more hospitable place, maybe it’s best to think about how things will play out beyond your lifetime (or at least, throughout your lifetime). By matching a long-term view with persistent commitment (to the change you're seeking to make), you can discipline yourself to make the tiny, albeit consistent, victories necessary to nurture systemic change.
Or, perhaps you're simply trying to change your lifestyle, adopting new habits or discarding old ones. What would happen if you sacrificed short-term progress in favor of long-term consistency? What if you made it easier to commit to the program, while also sticking to it longer, thereby creating sustainable practices that last for the long-haul?
Thinking short-term is vastly overrated, and, as it happens, better things often happen to those who are willing to wait.
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Curious to learn how to think long-term? This might help.