Is It Worth It?
The long game raises a question.
Is it worth it?
In this instance, it was a game. The gamification features of the app were encouraging me to choose between a ‘quick win’ and the bigger, better reward promised from endurance.
Each time we are faced with such choice, it prompts us to ask: is it worth it?
Of course, we may have a preference for one over the other, and the answer is never straight forward. Sometimes it is worth it. Sometimes it isn’t.
Making these decisions ever more difficult is the increasing complexity and uncertainty that we face. We simply do not know what, and how much, will change if we decide to stick it out and play the long game. Not that we have ever really known but it’s fair to say we are all feeling the effects of the quicksand spreading to many parts of our work and lives.
Contemplating my process for making such decisions in the low-stakes environment of the gamified app is a testing ground and helpful practice for the other decisions I’ll be called on to make.
So, I’ll go forward considering the costs and benefits of the scenarios before me,
I’ll consider the assurances and mitigations I can put in place to give me greater certainty and comfort, and
I’ll step into the unknown with a firm decision.
And, the next time I’m asking myself if (or justifying that) the long-game is worth it, I’ll draw on these experiences.
I’m curious, are you playing the long game, and is it worth it?