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Hey y’all!
This week’s post is another cathartic release.
Last week I talked about how you should Ignore Competitors, [and instead] Obsess Over Customers.
Today, I’m talking about a decade long experiment that I won’t know the outcome of until I pick my head up in 2032.
This concept kept bubbling up in my head while going on runs. So this post is sort of about running. But really, it’s about trusting a process and letting something compound over time into something very valuable.
Let’s get into it.
What if I don’t stop running?
I picked up running again during covid in 2020. I haven’t run any marathons (yet), but I try to run a little bit, consistently. My goal this year has been to run 30 miles a month. One mile a day, or two miles every other day. Seems pretty achievable. So far I haven’t missed a month. But it is hard. And doesn’t really seem to get any easier the more I run. I like running because it (apparently) is good for your physical health. But the reason I continue to run, is because it’s the best activity I’ve found to give myself clarity in thinking.
One of the funny things about running is that if I don't run for a week, my first run back is significantly harder. However, I know that I haven’t lost that much muscle in the last 7 days—it's more so that I lost the ability to mentally believe that I can run 3 miles without stopping.
There is a thought that pops into my head during the height of the pain during that first run back. During that mental battle. In the midst of that banter that I have with myself. That little voice in my head. A simple question pops into my head:
What if I don’t stop running?
And I mean this literally in that moment.
If I continue running in my current pain, what is the worst-case scenario? Will I pass out? Will I pull a muscle? Will I have a heart attack? Or, more likely, will I make it to the 3-mile mark and be glad that I didn't stop?
It turns out that oftentimes I can continue to run even though I feel with all of my body—and more importantly—all of my mind, that I should stop. I tell myself “I should take a break.” “I should just walk for two or three minutes and then I'll finish the run stronger than before.” “I should have eaten before I went for this run.” “It's too hot out today.” “I want to be running for many years in the future so I shouldn't feel pain on runs or else I'll stop running altogether.” Or whatever excuse I can muster up to give myself the permission to stop running.
But, what if I don’t stop running?
The reality is our bodies are capable of much more than we're willing to admit. I'm lucky to have a body that has the ability to run. I'm lucky that I have (fairly) decent eating habits that allow me to run. I am lucky that I live in a place that has a nice path, on flat ground to run. I am lucky that I have nice running shoes that allow me to comfortably run. None of the excuses that I make in my head are valid. I am just feeling pain, and want it to end as quickly as possible.
Of course, this is not just about running.
I'm talking about work, about family, about friends, about almost everything and anything in life.
Things are difficult—some have it harder than others. But we all can point to something(s) in life that’s hard. Places where it’s easy to let that little voice in your head feed you an excuse that gives you the permission to quit.
Lately, while running, when this question comes into my head, I can’t help but think about my current season of starting a company.
I have told many people that I'm on a decade-long journey at Groundswell. And I mean that. I can’t really comprehend what it means to work on one thing for a decade, because I’ve never done it before. I feel like I should work on something for two or three years and then have a big win. (Maybe my mind is trained in those timeframes because middle school, high school, and college are 4 years or less? IDK, just thinking out loud here). But then when I look at people who have “won big,” I can see that they have been working on something for at least 7-8 years, usually it’s more like 10-12 years.
There is something called compounding growth, that is hard for my reptile brain to understand. Maybe you’ve read about 1% gains from James Clear. If not, this is worth saving on Pocket to read later: This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What Happened. At the risk of sharing something very cliche, I do find myself revisiting this graph often, because, again, it’s not natural or logical math for me to be able to conceptualize. But when I see this graphic it’s clear that—if true—I should look for areas to leverage compounding growth (in my career choices and otherwise).
It is difficult to act on this reality on a daily basis. Doing small things does not feel like progress. So I find myself looking around for higher impact activities, but knowing deep-down, that they won’t actually matter. Here is an example I recently found myself wrestling with:
Option A - Prospect into a company that is a great fit for Groundswell. This means researching who at that company would be best suited to talk to, trying to find a path into those people via investors or folks in my network, writing personalized messages to each of those potential buyers, etc. Then following up a few days later when (9 out of 10 times) I don’t hear anything back. Sounds fun right? Ha. Not exactly. Now let’s look at Option B.
Option B - Have a call with a big investor I respect. I see the logos on their “portfolio companies” page and drool at the thought of becoming as big as these companies. This one call could be the path to millions of dollars. Then I can build more features, hire more people, do marketing, and “Option A” gets way easier (or maybe I don’t even have to do it!)… right? Not so fast.
The reality is, that my brain wants to choose the task of Option B because there is a potential outsized return on that time invested (albiet very low, if at all possible). But really, I want to do Option B because Option A is hard. Option B is sexy. Even if all goes well with Option A, I’ll have to do it all over again tomorrow. But Option B may be a silver bullet. “Silver bullet” — right when I hear that word I know it’s too good to be true. Run from silver bullets. They’re misleading. 10 out of 10 times. If it seems too good to be true, it is not true.
Tiny Gains argues that you have to do the small, hard things every day. Stop chasing the big silver bullets. It’s the lazy way out. Do the work, and let those tiny gains compound over a long period of time.
And just don’t stop going.
I have to constantly remind myself that if I do stop, I will always wonder what I’m missing out on. FOMO is real. So why not use it to my advantage to help me keep going, and avoid the following:
So, I honestly feel that I am blindly trusting this concept, and will only know if it’s true in 10 years. It’s a long-term bet. The wildest bet I’ve ever made with my career. By far. But hey, as the kids say (or use to say?) — YOLO.
What if I don’t stop?
What if I see failures as the answer to experiments? What if I stay humble and view wins as part of the journey and not the finish line? What if I sit in my pain and know that working hard is hard, no matter how long you've been working hard at something. And what if this “pain” becomes my new reality?
What if I don’t stop?
Will I have a heart attack? Will I go out of business? Will I fail? I am not sure. But I am going to find out in the hopes that if I don't stop, I will make it to a place that I never would have been able to make it otherwise. Life is a short adventure. So even if I fail, I’d rather have fun trying a wild experiment than take the proven path. But it will require me to not stop running. For many years.
So I’ll challenge you to ask yourself the same question:
What if you don’t stop running?
Portals to interesting corners of the internet
Parker Conrad (Rippling CEO) built a $6.5 BILLION customer-obsessed business by Garry Tan (38 minute-long Youtube video)
If you’re not worried about China becoming the dominant force in the world, watch this 45-minute explainer by Ray Dalio, and tell me you’re still not convinced: Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order
Paypal Co-Founder Peter Thiel - Bitcoin Keynote - Bitcoin 2022 Conference (summary and commentary on Peter’s keynote: 🥛 Peter Thiel Calls Warren Buffett a Sociopathic Grandpa from Omaha by Milk Road)
There’s been a lot of talk about Elon trying to take over Twitter. The best source is right from the horse’s mouth: Elon Musk Gives Live TED Talk in Vancouver
I listened to a great conversation with one of my investors, Henry Shuck, on imposter syndrome; it’s worth the watch: ZoomInfo Founder & CEO Henry Schuck Discusses Imposter Syndrome | The Quest Pod with Justin Kan
Quote that caught my attention
Don't ask the barber whether you need a haircut.
-Warren Buffett
See y’all next time,
Brendan
[Written while listening to The xx]