A Naval tweet got me thinking: not all creative work is created equal. There's a hierarchy.
At the bottom, you work for second-order outcomes. You design an app, write an article, or shoot a video because it pays the bills. Nothing wrong with it, but the outcome is extrinsically motivated.
In the middle, you work because you want the thing to exist. You build the product you wish you had. You write the book you wish existed. It’s personal. It matters. But it’s still about the result.
At the top, you do the work for the sake of doing it. You write a song not to release it, not to impress anyone, not even to finish it - but because writing it is its own reward. The act itself is the payoff.
I’ve lived in all three tiers. At my first startup, I was mostly chasing outcomes — revenue targets, fundraising rounds, milestones. It worked, but something was missing. When I left, I started building a product I deeply wanted. That felt more real. But the moments of pure flow - sitting in the studio at midnight, forgetting time, creating because I can’t not - those are the moments that feel closest to my truth.
It’s not that one tier is better than another. Each has its place. But the higher you climb, the more fulfilling the work becomes. And success starts to feel less like external validation and more like alignment with yourself.
Doing things for it's own sake (truly) is where your best life starts.