Bill Gates once said something that stopped me in my tracks:
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”
And honestly? He’s right.
Most of us set big goals for the year ahead — lose 10kg, start a business, get fit, learn a language, find love. But by March, life gets in the way. We get discouraged. We give up. And then we rinse and repeat the next year.
But what if the real problem isn’t that we aim too high… it’s that we think too short-term?
The truth is, thinking in decades instead of days is one of the biggest mindset shifts you can make. I’ve seen it in my own life as an entrepreneur — and in the lives of hundreds of successful people I’ve interviewed, worked with, or studied.
So if you’re stuck in a cycle of chasing quick wins and constantly falling short, here’s how to break free and finally play the long game.
1. Get brutally honest about what you truly want
Short-term thinking thrives in the absence of long-term vision.
If you don’t know where you want to be in 10 years, how can you possibly build toward it?
Take a step back and ask yourself:
If I could design my ideal life 10 years from now, what would it look like?
Where would you live? What would your workday look like? What kind of people would you be surrounded by? How would you feel on a typical Monday?
Write it down. Be as specific as you can. Then reverse-engineer your way back from that future.
This is your compass — not a perfect plan, but a guiding direction that helps you filter out distractions and focus on what matters.
2. Embrace the power of compounding
The human brain struggles to grasp exponential growth. That’s why we expect massive results after a few weeks of effort — and get disheartened when progress is slow.
But here’s the reality: meaningful success is built on small actions repeated consistently over time.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says it best:
“The effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them.”
Reading 10 pages a day doesn’t seem like much — until it becomes 12 books a year.
Investing $1,000 a month won’t make you rich overnight — but over a decade, it could mean financial freedom.
Writing 500 words a day might feel slow — but in a year, that’s a book.
Long-term thinkers understand this. They don’t chase intensity. They chase consistency.
3. Get off the dopamine treadmill
Let’s be real: most of us are addicted to short-term hits of progress.
We want the likes. The quick wins. The “hacks.”
But constantly chasing instant gratification is like trying to sprint a marathon — you burn out before you get anywhere meaningful.
If you want to think long-term, you need to get comfortable with delayed gratification. That means training your brain to find satisfaction not in immediate results, but in progress, discipline, and growth.
Start celebrating the boring stuff:
Being the kind of person your future self will thank you for
4. Make peace with slow results
One of the hardest truths I’ve had to learn in business and life:
Most real success is invisible for a long time.
It doesn’t show up in your bank account after a few months. It doesn’t trend on social media. It doesn’t even feel “successful” at first.
But every day you show up, you’re laying bricks.
And one day, you look up and realize… you’ve built something.
A body you’re proud of.
A business that runs itself.
A life you love waking up to.
But only if you can resist the urge to quit before the results start compounding.
5. Use short-term goals as stepping stones — not destinations
This might sound contradictory — but setting short-term goals isn’t the problem. The problem is treating them as the endgame.
Instead, reframe them as checkpoints. Each year isn’t a finish line — it’s just another step toward the bigger picture.
Ask yourself:
Does this goal move me closer to my 10-year vision? Or is it just a distraction dressed as productivity?
Make sure your short-term efforts are aligned with your long-term purpose. Otherwise, you’ll wake up in 10 years having worked really hard… but gone nowhere.
6. Surround yourself with people who think long-term
Here’s something I’ve noticed after over a decade in entrepreneurship:
Your environment can either anchor you to short-term thinking — or elevate you beyond it.
If everyone around you is chasing status symbols, get-rich-quick schemes, or social media validation… it’s almost impossible not to do the same.
But if you surround yourself with people who are quietly building, staying patient, and thinking 10 years ahead — that mindset becomes contagious.
Long-term thinking is a kind of discipline. And like any discipline, it gets easier when you’re not doing it alone.
Final thoughts
Most people live their lives on one-year loops. They set goals in January, give up by March, and do it all over again the next year.
Don’t be most people.
The biggest wins — in health, wealth, relationships, and purpose — aren’t found in the next 12 weeks. They’re found in the small, boring actions you take every day… that quietly transform your life over the next decade.
So next time you’re tempted to judge yourself by this week’s progress, remember Bill Gates’ advice.
And instead of asking, “How much can I do this year?”
Start asking, “What could my life look like in 10?”
Source – https://killerstartups.com/gen-bill-gates-says-most-people-overestimate-what-they-can-do-in-one-year-and-underestimate-what-they-can-do-in-ten-years-heres-how-to-finally-break-free-from-short-te/