One of the hardest yet most powerful things we can do is understand ourselves.
I find it pretty challenging to know what it is that I really want. Me. And me alone.
And, the reality is that everyone is just figuring it out.
Our interests are changing. Our experiences are growing. Our worldview is expanding.
This means we are not stagnant. And, what matters to us will keep changing.
But for me, most times, I am watching what other people are doing.
1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years ahead of me.
I have found decent success just modeling those further down the line. Those that are doing the things that I want to do and/or achieve.
But, this should not be the single source of truth.
In finance, we say that the biggest limitation of relative valuation is that no 2 companies are ever the same.
Even if they are in the same industry, similar size, same end-markets, etc there can be many other variables that differ.
This can mean what works for one business may not work for the other.
Similarly, in life, we cannot assume that the optimal path for us is one that others later in the journey have taken.
There is a lot of noise around us.
It’s easy to follow the herd.
In doing so, we lose drive and passion.
Bottom-line? Sometimes it’s better to climb slowly up the right mountain than have to switch mountains climbing too fast.