I walked into Fatburger like a conquering hero the other day.
Not because I did anything heroic, but because it’s the kind of joint that appreciates a swaggy entrance.
As I ordered my burger and ironically named “skinny fries,” I faced a familiar dilemma:
Do I get a milkshake?
Of course I wanted a milkshake because milkshakes are delicious (duh!).
But I almost never order one because of the “shouldn’ts.”
You know those:
• I shouldn’t have a milkshake because it’s not good for me.
• I shouldn’t have a milkshake because I don’t really need a milkshake.
• I shouldn’t have a milkshake because I’ll likely regret having it afterwards.
When it comes to milkshakes, my shouldnt’s are almost undefeated.
I didn’t order the milkshake.
The next day I thought about it and realized there are similarities to content creation.
There are often things I want to post, but don’t because of a whole other set of shouldn’ts.
• I shouldn’t post that because it’s off topic.
• I shouldn’t post in that way because the algorithm doesn’t like it.
• I shouldn’t post that because I’ll probably regret it afterwards.
When it comes to content, my shouldnt’s too often win the day.
But that’s a mistake – on both fronts.
I should order the milkshake more often.
And I should post whatever the hell I want more often.
Because there’s a ton of value in doing what you shouldn’t.
• It’s more unique.
• It’s more personal.
• It’s more delicious.
And most importantly…
It’s more fun.
(A highly underrated and too often overlooked goal.)
This observation led me to create The Milkshake Theory:
“It’s better to get the milkshake than to never get the milkshake.”
Put another way:
Don’t forget to do whatever the hell you want sometimes.
Sometimes you’ve got to order the milkshake.
And sometimes you’ve got to post on LinkedIn about the milkshake.