Three Questions Before I Say Yes

Many young people are lost in the fog of things that seem like opportunities. They say yes to everything that looks like an opportunity. They volunteer for everything and end up overwhelmed, with no visible progress.

Last year, I developed a framework that helps me make quicker decisions about whether I should pursue a career-related opportunity or not, and it has been a game changer for me. Since then, I have rejected seemingly beautiful opportunities in minutes, and I have accepted some even faster. I have not regretted any of those decisions.

Whenever something looks like a career-related opportunity, I look for atleast one of three things before I consider it as an opportunity: knowledge, money, or proof. If it ticks 2 or 3, then it's something I should probably jump on.

1. Knowledge: If this opportunity will not pay me in money, will it pay me in knowledge that is worth even more? I would work with some of the best marketers for free if it gave me real access to how they think, how they decide, and the chance to ask questions. The knowledge I could gain that way would be worth more than what I can currently charge for my services.

2. Money: Is this opportunity worth at least what I earn for this kind of work per hour? If you do not know that number, divide the gross profit of your business (or salary) by the number of hours you spend working.

3. Proof: If this will not pay me in money or knowledge, will it at least let me build proof I can use in the future, with little or no risk on me? This is why I offer my 15-minute free marketing to people I believe can execute well even when it does not pay me in money or knowledge. I believe I'll get proof that'll give me a huge boost in my career-path in return for the time I invest into that.

P.s. I believe that once people in their teens or twenties are earning enough to cover their basic needs, the next thing they should optimize for is knowledge. In most cases, it gives a better return on investment.

Share