Long-Term Trumps Short-Term
Far too many people get caught up in short term trivialities, that don't matter on the grand scheme of things. Decisions become a lot easier to make, when we think with a longterm mindset.
Hey readers 👋
Very often, we take a short term view of things. We’re not to blame here - it’s in our DNA to prioritise the short-term over the long-term. Mother Nature has genetically predisposed us to do so as tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Humans dominance as a species has been a result of taking a long-term approach and sacrificing any potential short term gains.
Take, for example, Yuval Noah Harari, the bestselling author of Sapiens - describes the money system as fiction, a figment of our imagination.
Chimpanzees (or other animals for that matter) don’t have this imagination. There’s no way you can fool a chimpanzee. He will not give you a banana, in return for a green piece of paper; or because of a promise that you’ll give him 3 bananas in return next year.
Chimpanzees take a very short-term view.
Taking a long-term view on things and ignoring the short term benefits (or noise) allows us to make decisions that are in our best long-term interest.
By taking a long-term view, we are less likely to cut corners, less likely to ignore opportunity costs and more likely to make the correct ethical decision.
We make better decisions when taking a long-term view. The long-term will always trump the short-term.
Don’t be like a Chimpanzee.
I hope you all have an awesome week!
Featured Article
It appears that the US and China are somewhat about to agree to a trade deal. It makes the below short essay topical. It’s one I wrote about the escalating trade war between the US and China earlier in the year, considering who was likely to come out worse.
Samuel Ajayi-Obe
3 Things I've Enjoyed This Week
- Sleep is your superpower | Matt Walker - This TED talk is essentially a summary of his book Why We Sleep. Matthew shares with us the importance of sleep, along with the dangers of not getting sufficient sleep daily.
- Why humans run the world | Yuval Noah Harari - Although Yuval trained as a historian, I find this talk to be more about philosophy than it is about history. A carefully packaged talk, highlighting how humans have created arbitrary rules, in seeking to find order in the world.
- On needing to find something to worry about - Do you ever start worrying when you have nothing to worry about? You’re not alone - it’s a human trait.
Tweet of the Week
There are 3 primary drivers of results in life:
— James Clear (@JamesClear) January 16, 2020
1) Your luck (randomness).
2) Your strategy (choices).
3) Your actions (habits).
Only 2 of the 3 are under your control.
But if you master those 2, you can improve the odds that luck will work for you rather than against you.
This Week's Wisdom
“Listen, if people don’t like you, it’s not always your fault.”
- Min Jin Lee, in the book: Pachinko
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I follow my curiosity at SamuelObe.com
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