The Milkshake Theory

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.