The smart ones optimize for 3 years.

Here's the difference, and why it matters more than any tactic you'll learn this year.

You want results now. Everyone does.

So you chase tactics:

All of these work. For a while.

Then the platform changes. The algorithm shifts. Everyone copies the tactic and it stops working. The hack gets patched. The formula gets overused and becomes noise.

Tactics have a shelf life.

Six months from now, the hook formula that works today will be stale. The growth hack will be patched. The content template will be everywhere.

You'll need new tactics. Again. And again. Forever.

This is exhausting. You're always chasing. Always one algorithm change away from starting over.

Now consider the person who spends the same time building transferable skills:

Pattern recognition: Learning to see what works across multiple domains, not just one platform.

Decision-making: Getting comfortable acting under uncertainty without needing perfect information.

Relationship building: Developing the ability to connect strategically without being transactional.

Long-term thinking: Training patience and persistence when everyone else is chasing quick wins.

These skills don't expire.

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The pattern recognition that helps you spot content opportunities also helps you identify business trends, hiring decisions, and product-market fit.

The decision-making framework that guides your content strategy also applies to pricing, partnerships, and pivots.

The relationship skills that build your network also create collaboration opportunities, referrals, and long-term partnerships.

Year 1, these skills feel slower than tactics.

Year 2, they start compounding.

Year 3, you're operating at a level tactics can't reach.

Here's what most people miss about skills vs tactics:

Tactics: Linear returns

Skills: Exponential returns

The person chasing tactics is always starting over.

The person building skills is always compounding.

Even knowing this, most people choose tactics.

Why?

Tactics feel productive immediately. You implement a hook formula and get engagement today. That dopamine hit is real.

Skills feel like you're falling behind. While you're building pattern recognition, someone else is going viral with the latest growth hack. You feel slow.

Tactics are concrete. "Post at 9am with this structure" is clear. "Develop better judgment" feels vague.

Skills require patience. Results take months to show. Most people quit before compounding kicks in.

But here's what happens if you stick with skills:

Year 1: You feel slower than the tactic chasers. Year 2: You're matching their results with less effort. Year 3: You're outperforming them while they're still chasing new tactics.

The patience is the competitive advantage.

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There's a Finnish word: kestää.

It means to endure, to last, to withstand.

Finns apply this to everything: buildings that last centuries, relationships that deepen over decades, skills developed over lifetimes.

In a culture obsessed with speed, kestää is the counterbalance.

What can you build that lasts?

Not what goes viral this week. What creates value for years.

Not what gets you followers today. What builds authority that compounds.

Not what generates revenue this month. What creates systems that sustain.

Transformation over tactics is choosing kestää.

Building something that lasts while others build things that expire.

Starting January 6, the monthly themes reflect this philosophy:

Pattern Recognition (Month 4) Not "here's the hook formula." Instead: "Here's how to spot patterns across business, content, and relationships that let you adapt to any platform or market."

Decision-Making (Month 5) Not "here's the exact strategy." Instead: "Here's how to make confident decisions when you lack perfect information, so you act faster and learn faster."

Relationships (Month 6) Not "here's the networking tactic." Instead: "Here's how to build strategic connections that create opportunities without being transactional or forced."

Long-Term Thinking (Month 7) Not "here's the quick win." Instead: "Here's how to optimize for 3 years instead of 30 days, developing patience as a competitive advantage."

Same publishing consistency. Same transparency. Going deeper on what transfers.

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Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

If you're optimizing for 30 days, you'll find tactics elsewhere. They're everywhere. Quick wins are commoditized.

If you're optimizing for 3 years, you'll find transformation here. Skills that transfer across any platform, market, or domain.

The question isn't which is better.

The question is: What timeline are you building for?

If you need results this month to survive, chase tactics. I'm not judging. Survival matters.

If you can invest in skills that compound over years, build transformation. That's where sustainable success lives.

Most people toggle between both. Some months you need quick wins. Some years you invest in long-term.

Just know which game you're playing.

This transformation content runs on Beehiiv infrastructure:

What enables this:

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Tomorrow we dive deep into this:

Ready to start building skills that compound? The Pro Tier deep-dive includes:

✅ The 3-Year Planning Framework: How to map skill development across 36 months with quarterly milestones and progress tracking

✅ The Patience Protocols: Mental models and practices for staying committed when everyone else is chasing shiny tactics

✅ The Skill Assessment Matrix: How to identify which skills will compound most for your specific situation

✅ The Transformation Roadmap: Month-by-month skill development plan for 2026

Join the entrepreneurs building for years, not weeks.