Mice or gazelle?

Tim Ferriss tells an apocryphal story I love....

It's about a 2 men living in the savannah.

The first man decides he must eat immediately. He starts chasing after mice.

After scurrying around for a few minutes, he catches a few and eats.

He is immediately hungry, so he repeats this pattern. Over and over.

He survives by dedicating his life to survival.

The second man sees gazelle on the horizon.

He knows they are strong and fast.

So he spends an hour fastening a spear, an hour napping, and then he goes out hunting gazelle.

He brings home enough food for a week.

He eats, he rests, he grows stronger, and he spends his free time walking. Just because he enjoys it.

So I ask you:

Are you hunting mice? Or are you hunting gazelle?

It's easy to get caught up in the feeling of being productive. Filling each day to the brim with small wins so that you barely have any time to think about anything other that keeping your head above water.

Or you can let the small stuff slide. Let the mice escape. And set your sights on something bigger.

It takes discipline to wait. But the big wins will sustain you much longer.