Happy Wednesday!

​

It's easy to complain, criticize, or seek to avoid the parts of our world and culture that we don't approve of. Instead, try focusing on what you can create for others. After all, that's all you can control.

On living for the long term

​
​In a culture focused on asking "how can I feel better now?" one of the greatest ways to grow your career is to take the opposite approach. Ask "how can I create value for others over the long term?"

​

Think long and hard about where you want to head, who you want to become, what you want to build ten years from now.

But knowing the exact destination is not as important as letting the general direction determine what you do today. Let your actions today be guided by what your future self will be grateful for.

​

Often people are more naturally skilled in either getting things done or thinking strategically. Work on your weakness, and add to your team people who compliment your strengths.
​

Your success depends on long-term priorities and your perseverance in living out those values each day.​

Quotes

If we seek to change culture, we will have to create something new, something that will persuade our neighbors to set aside some existing set of cultural goods for our new proposal...Creativity is the only viable source of change.

Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling​

​

A society’s competitive advantage will come not from how well its schools teach the multiplication and periodic tables, but from how well they stimulate imagination and creativity.

Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe​

Resources

This simple and free Thinking Wavelength assessment from the Paterson Center helps you identify how you think and execute: where on the spectrum are you in terms of getting things done, managing people, and having creative ideas. This tool can be helpful when hiring and for people already on your team to identify what roles will match how they think.

​

​Ants & Aliens: Long-Term Product Vision & Strategy: A great article about long-term thinking in business by Ken Norton, former product leader at Google. It's written for product managers but can be applied more widely.

​

​Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling, an engaging and inspiring book by a leading thinker I respect with one of the best laughs, Andy Crouch. This was formative for me to decide to start Wisecraft.

​

Questions

What is my 30-year vision statement?

Write it down in one bold sentence.

Dare to talk about it.

What daily practice will most help me get there?

Get to work.

​

Endnote

To live wisely, dare to pursue a big dream over the long term. My 30-year vision statement: empower an ecosystem of people to grow wisely. Current daily practice: write.

​
I'd love to know your 30-year vision statement and daily practice!

​

If you want to share this weekly Words of Wisdom newsletter, please send your friends here.

​

Live wisely,

‍

Josh