Choice

Is George Clooney actually a great actor?
Or is he just great at making choices?

In 1789, you had just a few choices. Work for the potter in town, apprentice with your dad, of, if you were really smart, become a clergyman or possibly a teacher. That was it.

Today, not only do you have more choices, the variations in those choices matter more. Obvious choices, like, "should I quit my job today?", necessary choices like, "should I apply for a job at Google or an insurance company?" and more subtle choices--whether or not to start a blog, for example.

The movie business provides us with a clear window on what happens when people make good choices (and bad ones). Very few people--with the exception of Sean Connery or Daniel Craig--have the option of sticking with one movie forever. Everyone else in the industry makes critical choices on a regular basis. Smart choice makers do far better than those that don't work at it. I'm willing to guess the value of smart choices is responsible for a 10 to 100 times difference in lifetime earnings in Hollywood.

I think the same is true for a career in programming, marketing or just about anything else. If you're in the position to start a company, why didn't you do it a year ago? Why not now? If you're a programmer, why didn't you apply to work at YouTube when the getting was good? If you're a marketer, how are you going to spend your time and your money? Not choosing is still making a choice.