The breadcrumbs are everywhere.
It’s a game we’re all playing.
There is no end to the game.
The breadcrumbs just lead us to “Where next?”
If we pay attention, whether we keep moving or stand still, there will be another breadcrumb.
There’s always another breadcrumb.
The better we get at the game, the more obvious these breadcrumbs become.
Breadcrumbs can be a carrot or a stick.
That high ROI long-tail keyword – a carrot.
Or that pain in my shoulder and crunching sound in my knee – sticks.
If we ignore the carrots, they often bounce in front of our face to catch our eye repeatedly.
Eventually carrots move on or are eaten by someone else.
If we ignore the sticks, they swing harder, inflicting more pain (physical, mental, financial, etc.)
Sticks only stop when we do something about them or when the game is over.
To win the game, we first need to be looking for those breadcrumbs.
We need to be curious, open-minded and broadminded.
We also need to decipher breadcrumbs from trash.
The only way to know for sure which is which, is to test and measure.
Is it a great tasting carrot?
Is there less pain?
Little by little, breadcrumb by breadcrumb, we find our way.
Also published on Medium.