Note: This post has been revised and re-shared to give updated information and insights.
The illustration was flawed, but it made the point. A man posed an intriguing question while sitting at a conference in Nyanga, Zimbabwe. This is a beautiful region bordering Mozambique.
He asked, “If you had only one apple and were hungry, would you eat it or plant it? By eating it, you satisfy immediate hunger, but the next generation face starvation. By planting it, you guarantee future abundance, even at the cost of current hunger.”
The flaw in this illustration is that you first need to eat the apple to get seeds to plant. In this case, consumption drives production. Nevertheless, the essence of the question remains: Are you willing to forgo short-term gratification for long-term rewards?
We live in a world where short-term thinking is the norm. Many people don’t plan beyond today. Some plan for a week, a month at best. But few think in terms of a year, let alone three, five, seven, fifteen, or even twenty-five years ahead. In contrast, some societies plan decades in advance — sometimes as far as fifty years.
This mindset is understandable. For those living hand-to-mouth, immediate survival takes priority. There is no time to worry about tomorrow — tomorrow will take care of itself. As the Bible says in Matthew 6:34, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Nonetheless, the truth is that anything worthwhile takes time. Patience can be hard. But it’s indispensable to lasting fruitfulness. Worthwhile pursuits need planning. Execution. Willingness to fail, learn, and try again. As the saying goes,
“We overestimate what we can achieve in one year. But we underestimate what we can achieve in five.”
Things that take longer to grow and mature are more sustainable and have a greater impact. This applies to life in general, spiritual growth, wealth creation, career growth, businesses, and other pursuits.
Similarly, it typically takes five to seven years for a product or business to scale. Real profitability in any venture often materializes after a sustained five-to-ten-year execution plan. But to achieve this, one must think and plan long-term.
The biblical story of God creating a nation from one man — Abraham — illustrates this point. It took over four hundred and fifty years for this to come to fruition. Yet, God was willing to wait and work within the natural processes of life.
More than anything, this demonstrates God’s patience and perseverance. We do not live that long. We also lack God’s omnipotence. So, we must temper our ambitions. We should approach them with a multi-generational perspective instead.
The key encouragement here is that we can achieve what we set our minds to — but not instantly.
It requires patience, persistence, and methodical progress. We need to take small deliberate steps consistently. Our efforts will compound over time. This will lead to exponential results. The journey may start slow, but the long-term advantages will be undeniable.
How to Become a Long-Term Thinker
1. Make Time to Think and Plan
We live in a world where busyness is often mistaken for productivity. Many people are occupied with non-essential activities that do not contribute to meaningful progress.
To break this cycle, we must de-cluster our lives and dedicate time to thinking and planning. Set aside moments daily. Think about where you want your life, family, career, business, and finances to be in the next five years. Consider the next ten years as well.
2. Set Clear Goals
Once you have taken time to think, define your goals.
What are five key things you want to achieve in the next twenty-five years, God willing? Break these into quarterly milestones, giving you 100 quarters to achieve them.
With such a long time-frame, failure to achieve your objectives is unlikely if you stay committed.
Even if you focused on achieving just one major goal in that period, what would it be? Start working on it now and track your progress every three months.
Long-term thinking is a powerful advantage. By embracing it, we position ourselves for sustained progress and a legacy that outlives us.
Mas' Insights 