Mental model overload
I’ve had it up to here with framework masters, but am I destined to become one?
Do I have to be a master of mental models and success frameworks to make you interested in me? Is that what it takes to win on LinkedIn? To win at life??
I’ve bookmarked, conservatively, a million hundred thousand of them. The only way allllll those bookmarks have transformed my morning routine is to introduce guilt as a regular co-pilot.
If comparison is the thief of joy then this steady stream of LinkedIn life hacks are robber barons, weaponized by its feed. “Feed” is appropriate- they prey on my hunger for meaning, for success, for self-improvement.
Instagram made food and travel influencers famous, and LinkedIn seems to be hell bent on doing the same for the aspiring business wannabe like me.
So why do I write? Why do I contribute to the noise?
I’ve asked this of myself recently. A lot. I asked it this morning at 6am as I snuck away from my sleeping family. This is not a life hack. This is insomnia.
There are two paths.
Either you’re entertaining people or you’re helping them get what they want.
I split my time hanging with these two types of people, and their words:
Nate Bargatze, Neal Brennan, Mike Birbiglia, Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons,
by Alex Dobrenko, by Norm Leonard. They entertain. Share their stories without much expectation. No “join my course” here.Shaan Puri, James Clear, Sahil Bloom, David Perell, Dickie Bush, Alex Lieberman, Mark Borum. They’re trying to help you get the life or career you want. And they have multiple ways to help, at various price points. Super smart.
These are the people in my feeds. And you become who you spend time with.
So I write this to say that I’m at the dreaded crossroads. Trying to figure out what I want to do. Entertain or help. Help or entertain. It seems to be an either-or. Maybe it’s not.
My ego fights against being *just* another framework guy. And yet, I can’t deny that helping others figure out their own path is a path to success. And entertaining is scarier and certainly less sure.
How can I better define what I want to create, and what people can expect from me? This is the struggle. The in-between space I’m navigating.
What Venn diagram must I create?????
"How can I better define what I want to create, and what people can expect from me?" I struggle with this, too. That said, a lot of my favorite creatives are difficult to define. Leaning into a little ambiguity is not a bad idea maybe...?
I would argue the helpers you list are also entertainers. There's space to be all the things and many times the combination helps you stand out.
For most of my life I've struggled with choice. It took getting to my late 40s to see that I don't have to choose. Even knowing this, old habits die hard. I sometimes have to remind myself several times a day the only choice I need to make is expressing myself fully.