# Eventual reciprocity An interesting idea for content creators. By giving a lot of value away for free, we create a positive capital that eventually leads people to recriprocate. They feel "in debt" and want to support us. I first saw it mentioned by [[Arvid Kahl]]: https://x.com/arvidkahl/status/1524374932183994368 > Your best path to financial independence is lifting up and empowering others to reach theirs. This is why "eventual reciprocity" works: you help me today when I'm on the ground, I'll help you tomorrow when I soar in the skies. I've discussed it in [[DeveloPassion's Newsletter 063 - Eventual reciprocity]]: > I'm confident that I'm accumulating "pieces" that will ultimately _compound_. Just like my articles. Every single one I write feels "ignored" at first. Then, slowly, views accumulate and people start sharing the link around. As this happens, the impact is amplified by the internal links. More people get to discover my articles, my newsletter, my posts, and my products. It's the wonderful effect of the [[Flywheels]] (mentioned before in [[DeveloPassion's Newsletter 046 - Flywheels]]). > The negative feelings that arise as a result of the short-term lack of success are linked to the fact that we tend to hope for immediate success. We hope for immediate growth, immediate sales, immediate fame, and fortune. These illusions make us feel bad needlessly. They also push us to act rashly and make bad decisions. > I think it's way more interesting to focus on long-term trends than on short-term variations. > For me, playing the long game is all about _people_ and _communities_. I want to help "_my people"_ be successful. And that means _you_. I want you all to succeed. I want to share whatever I know, whatever I learn, and whatever you need to move forward with your goals. In practice, that means giving away my time and energy for you. That means answering your questions on Slack, through Twitter DMs, via e-mails, etc. That means writing more articles to explain interesting concepts that can be useful to you. It also means creating new products that help you be more productive, more knowledgeable, better organized, etc. It means sharing as much as I can. > In summary, it means doing whatever is in my power to help you. And that starts with understanding. Because I can't possibly help if I don't know what you need most, or what's the best thing I can do to bring value to you. > Playing the long game is also aiming for eventual reciprocity (thanks to Arvid Kahl for [coining this term](https://x.com/arvidkahl/status/1524374932183994368)). This idea that _someday_, somehow, you'll think about me in return. You'll share a link with your friends. You'll buy a product from me. You'll read the books I wrote. In short, you'll be there for me, too. > Playing the long game feels much more interesting and valuable to me. I prefer to build long-lasting relationships that bring a lot of mutual value over time than making a quick buck by selling to a stranger that will never even care about who I am.