![]() These decisions can impact all areas of our lives, including the lives of those around us. Our goals change, and we have varied priorities in different phases of our lives. If you have any models or principles for choices, I’d love to hear them.Sometimes we come to a fork in the road that calls for us to make difficult or drastic decisions. I hope this helps you think through any big decisions in your life. I believe the best way to do it is by having principles and models to filter the decision through, understanding different types of outcomes, and discussing with people close to you who are impacted by your decision. There’s no one right way to make big decisions in life. See the difference there? Choosing Podia is a proactive decision based on my principles rather than a fear-based reaction to “I don’t want to lose out on money I may earn in the future”. Podia gives me more opportunity for growth and ownership while challenging me to take responsibility for the success of the company. I can do that by measuring the initial decision against my principles. The fear not screwing up a good thing can be a powerful force.Įven if that became the result, I have to be ok with it at the outset. In this instance – what if Podia doesn’t reach the same heights as ConvertKit, while at the same time the latter continues to climb? That long-term outcome would have financial implications for me (missed profit-sharing and shares). When faced with two good options it’s important to have the strength of will to live with your decision even if it turns out to be the “wrong one” in the long run. Last thing on this, just to make it ultra clear. If you’re facing a big decision in your life (or next time you are) – consider these elements as helpful guideposts to making a choice. I’ll be leading their customer success team and helping the company grow in a similar way to ConvertKit. In the end Podia is a great opportunity for me to grow professionally and personally. Stay in a good place at ConvertKit or take on a new opportunity at Podia? If two choices are relatively well-balanced I find it helpful to break down the decision to one core element like this one. In essence my decision to join Podia became about this distinction. What’s important to realize is there may not be a clear winner in the decision, you’re looking at two good outcomes, remember? Oftentimes the decision comes down to a decision to stay put or strike out to a new opportunity. Where you work and live has an outsized impact on everything else in your life. That’s what makes the decision so intense. The kind of choice that’s going to influence everything else about your life. These are choices between two good jobs, cities, colleges, etc. So we won’t focus on that type of choice. If you don’t like your job and you have the chance to take a job you like, that’s not hard. Picking between a good opportunity and a bad one isn’t a hard decision. I would have been happy at ConvertKit, but Podia was a great opportunity too. That’s part of what makes the decision difficult. ![]() I’ve found the hardest decisions are often choices between two good outcomes. I want to share my thought process to help you go through the next big decision in your life. I loved my time at ConvertKit – the people I was able to work with, the product, and the customers we served. How did the choice hold up? Do certain principles carry more weight in this decision? I put my decision to leave ConvertKit for Podia through the filter of these principles. Defining them is a work in progress, but it’s a good way to think through big decisions. What helps me make big, difficult decisions like this are the principles I try to follow in life and work. I had a lot of comfort and autonomy in my work. I had built a lot of the structure needed to think really creatively about the problems we were trying to solve. In some ways I had that going for me at ConvertKit. I’m going to work at Podia, an online storefront for creators to sell their books, courses, and memberships. This past week was my last working at ConvertKit, the email marketing company I’ve been at for 3.5 years. ![]() By using less mental energy for structural decisions we free up space to be more creative and present. Like I talked about in T4T8, structure can often give us more freedom in our lives by reducing the cognitive load of decision making. Change is tough for people because it’s so comfortable to stay in routine. What clothes to wear, food to eat, how to interact with others.
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