💡✍️ADN #138: Play Longer Games With Better People

Play Longer Games With Better People

A viral moment is usually just that, a moment.
Real success in the music industry requires many moments on a longer journey.

And the further you go, the more your circle matters.

The right people push you.
Protect you.
Challenge your thinking without killing your confidence.
Match your ambition without draining your energy.

The wrong people won’t ruin you overnight.
They’ll slowly waste your best years.

You don’t just need collaborators.
You need co-builders.
People who care about the long-term as much as you do.

Play longer games.

With better people.

SYSTEM: Choose People Who Compound With You

1. Value alignment over hype.

Do they care about the same things when nobody's watching?

2. Run the long-game test. 

Ask: Would I still want to work with this person in 5 years?

3. Protect your energy, not just your schedule.

Who you build with affects how long you can keep going.

CHECKLIST

❑ Are you surrounded by people who are building for the years ahead, or just tomorrow?
❑ Do your partners challenge you without draining you?
❑ Are you investing in relationships that will still matter a decade from now?

If not, you're building your ending, not your engine.

REMEMBER

The right people multiply your momentum.
The wrong ones dilute it.

Look for teammates who inspire and challenge you.

The kind of people who can adapt to you and who change you.

ACTION STEPS:

• Audit your creative circle: who energizes and who drains you. Adjust accordingly.

• Ask yourself: Would I trust these people with the next chapter of my career?

• Reach out to one person you’d like to build a long-term relationship with, whose values align with yours.

Fast wins fade... fast.

Long games build legacy.

Pick your people like they matter.
Because they do.

See you next Sunday,

Neil