Last night, I dusted off one of my favourite books from 2019, The Great Mental Models by Farnam Street.

One lesson leapt out at me:

The map is not the territory.

It means representations often don’t reflect reality. A map might say one thing, but when you start travelling, the terrain is completely different.

Understanding this makes you more adaptable to advice.

This is crucial as an entrepreneur—especially if you’re building online.

You have so many people telling you what to do. So many maps to follow. Instead of having a clear GPS to your destination you end up wandering the digital world overwhelmed by the information.

The problem?

Everyone’s plan is persuasive.

It’s not because influencers are trying to manipulate you (at least, most aren’t). It’s because they genuinely believe in what they do, and they’ve spent years mastering their message to get you to believe it too.

As a result, you’re pulled in hundreds of directions—busy going nowhere.

An example from my life is the debate of daily emails.

Email marketers swear by ‘em. In fact, you’re an idiot for ignoring them. In their eyes, a lack of daily emails is the equivalent of setting fire to stacks of cash.

But does their map reflect your reality?

Perhaps, but there’re influencing factors you must consider. Daily emails are smart for some but not for all. And you can get the right advice at the wrong time—it depends entirely on your priorities.

If you don’t question what you’re told, you will spend your career in the shadow of someone else’s advice (instead of carving your own path).

Follow a map, but check the terrain.

Hope this helps,
Kieran