People, unfortunately, have an extremely strong tendency to do things that look good over things that are valuable towards their ends.
Of course, for many people, the end goal itself is just praise, admiration, respect, etc. Know your Maslow.
But this is why, for example, diamond engagement rings are a thing. It makes way more sense to propose with an equivalent cash value in a long-term investment account as a shared resource for building a life together. But you can’t take Instagram pictures of that.
It’s why a lot of workplaces have people fighting over highly-visible but meaningless assignments, and no one wants to be in charge of the project that takes ten years but just builds essential infrastrucure.
It’s why politics is… well, politics. Watch anything, ever, and this shines clearly.
The point is, be careful. Flashy and valuable actions are often mutually exclusive. Make sure you’re doing enough for yourself and your family that actually matters.
The Opportunity Machine 