What I learned watching a Nature documentary...

3 Thoughts

I.

Sacrifice is fundamentally baked into every decision.

The Latin root of the word "decide" is "caedere", meaning "to cut".

If you want to focus, you literally have to cut off all other distractions.

II.

If a friend tears you down for trying, refuses to help you on the way up, and doesn’t celebrate when you win… that’s called an enemy.

III.

Be impossible to ignore. Show up early. Stay late. Do what you say you're going to do. Take things off others plates. Prioritize your tasks. Work weekends. Have a great attitude. Advocate for yourself. Don't gossip, whine, or complain. Then, let time be your ally.

2 Quotes

I.

"We have a finite amount of time on this planet, and you can be viciously mediocre or you can get the fuck after it." - Jeremy Piven

II.

“Traveler: What kind of weather are we going to have today?

Shepard: The kind of weather I like.

Traveler: How do you know it will be the kind of weather you like?

Shepard: Having found out, sir, I cannot always get what I like, I have learned always to like what I get. So I am quite sure we will have the kind of weather I like.”

— Anthony De Mello

1 Game-Changing Idea: Antelope vs. Field Mice

Years ago, I watched a nature documentary that changed how I think about decision-making.

The camera followed a young lion for days. Every morning, he'd hunt field mice darting through the grass. He'd spend hours stalking and pouncing, missing most of them. The few he caught took enormous effort. By sunset, he'd managed to catch maybe a dozen.

But he was starving.

The older lions barely moved. They'd lie in the shade, watching. Waiting. Then, once every few days, they'd disappear into the tall grass. Hours later, they'd return with an antelope.

The narrator explained the math: A lion needs 11 pounds of meat per day. A field mouse weighs less than an ounce. That's 251 mice needed just to survive. An antelope weighs 300 pounds. One kill feeds the pride for weeks.

The young lion was working harder than anyone. But was he getting the outcome that he wanted?

We're taught that busy means productive. That a full calendar means you're important. That immediate responses show you care. That saying yes to everything means you're a team player.

But the math just doesn’t check out.

Those emails you spent an hour perfecting? Mice. Attending every optional meeting to "stay in the loop"? Mouse. Tweaking your LinkedIn headline for the dozenth time? Mouse. Responding to every FYI email with thoughtful commentary? Also mice.

The antelope look different. Leading the project that fixes your biggest customer's problem. Learning to code when you're in marketing because you see where the industry's going. Walking into your skip-level's office with a solution, not a complaint. Shipping the MVP instead of debating features for another quarter.

Here's what nobody tells you: Hunting antelope looks lazy to mouse hunters.

You're not responding to every Slack message immediately. You're not in every optional meeting. You're saying no to good opportunities because you're waiting for great ones. You look less busy because you are less busy.

But you're doing what matters.

The hardest part isn't spotting the antelope. You already know what they are. The hardest part is letting all those mice run by. Watching everyone else chase them. Feeling lazy. Feeling guilty. Trusting that the wait is worth it.

Because every mouse you chase is energy you don't have for the antelope.

I still catch myself sometimes, three mice into my morning before I remember. It's so easy to fall back. The mice are always there, squeaking for attention, seeming important.

But then I remember that young lion. All that effort. All that exhaustion. Still starving.

Mice will keep you comfortable. Antelope will set you free.

Choose accordingly.

Until next week,
Jay “Hunt Bigger Game” Yang

Ps. Corporate Speak

Kind words for ‘You Can Just Do Things’

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