The final hazard in the idea that if something matters it must take effort is that it leads, by a seemingly reasonable but entirely bogus reverse logic, to the assumption whatever takes effort must matter.

If your job feels like a dead end, it might be because you’ve traded agency and responsibility for the feeling of security.

But real security lies in creating value.

Creating value isn’t easy, but it’s resilient and generous and often profitable.

“How do I create more value?” is a much more useful question than, “how do I find a better job?”