Thanks for sharing this! I really appreciated hearing your personal experience and perspective on this.
I agree that it’s important to consider the realistic counterfactual (maybe that term is already implying ‘realistic’, but just wanted to emphasise it). There’s definitely a world in which I could have spent six months doing something that was even better for my career on the whole. But, whether I actually knew what that alternative was or would have actually done it is a different story.
Your message that almost everything is suboptimal is also really insightful. I agree, and think that trying to pursue the ‘optimal’ path can lead to some anxiety (e.g., “What if I’m not doing the best thing I could be doing?”) and sometimes away from action (e.g., “I’m going to say no to this opportunity, because I can imagine something being better / more impactful”). I obviously still think it’s worth considering impact and weighing different options against each other, but while always keeping in mind what’s realistic (and that what you choose might not optimal in the ideal world).
Thanks for sharing this! I really appreciated hearing your personal experience and perspective on this.
I agree that it’s important to consider the realistic counterfactual (maybe that term is already implying ‘realistic’, but just wanted to emphasise it). There’s definitely a world in which I could have spent six months doing something that was even better for my career on the whole. But, whether I actually knew what that alternative was or would have actually done it is a different story.
Your message that almost everything is suboptimal is also really insightful. I agree, and think that trying to pursue the ‘optimal’ path can lead to some anxiety (e.g., “What if I’m not doing the best thing I could be doing?”) and sometimes away from action (e.g., “I’m going to say no to this opportunity, because I can imagine something being better / more impactful”). I obviously still think it’s worth considering impact and weighing different options against each other, but while always keeping in mind what’s realistic (and that what you choose might not optimal in the ideal world).
Thanks again for the reflections, William.