In the scenario above (the subject line), what’s your Z?

And is it possible you’re only going through the motions of X and Y due to perceived necessity? Could you in fact go straight to Z?

I was massively inspired by this quote in Paul Millerd’s email today:

“I’ve tried to avoid doing X to get Y to get Z on this path. That’s the career game. Instead, I want to just do Z and enjoy it because I like it.”

He was talking about how he “just” wanted to write his book. (As opposed to writing books to get speaking gigs to get high-paid consultancy projects.)

But it applies broadly to any situation where you’re strategically doing something you don’t want in order to get to a place where you can do something else that you do want.

Sacrificing the present for a future that seems more secure or approved.

It seems fraught.

Yes, there are some cases where it is a truly necessary path (like becoming a doctor or a judge).

But I suspect there are fewer cases than we think.

And that Z could be closer than we realize.

Straight to Z,
James