LinkedIn has become a boring, shallow wasteland of AI-generated drivel. It’s turning thought leaders into thoughtless comment machines, writers into robots, and confident, secure, capable individuals into insecure, engagement-seeking circle jerkers who feel a necessity to hype someone up every day in exchange for being shown some love back.
I used to be on the platform a lot because I found value there, but lately the notifications I’m getting aren’t meaningful connections, they’re to let me know someone’s (bot) is checking out my profile three, sometimes four times a day. If this is you, here’s the best advice I can give you: stop.
And the flurry of AI comments? Don’t get me started.
“Great value in this post.”
Really? Genius commentary!
All of this is a bad look. Particularly in middle age (where we’re supposed to give far fewer f*cks about this stuff).
Here’s a better idea: Be a producer, not a consumer.
Do the thing. Write the thing. Eat the food. Build the business. Do your actual job. Go to the gym. Climb the mountain. Spend time with people who really matter. Listen to music…
Curate your consumption. If what I do lands with you…
Read my newsletter on Sunday; it’ll take you eight minutes.
Read The Middle I put out on Wednesday; it’ll take you four minutes.
Then go out and live your life.
If you want to continue to utilize that platform, or any other platform, use it for Direct Connection. That’s a superpower.
The other day, I read a post by Brandon Hance. It was about his relationship with Matt Leinart. It took me 30 seconds to read it. Checked the guy out. D1 QB, entrepreneur, husband, father…This is a very interesting guy. This is a prolific guy. Clearly a great friendship and a great story.
So I sent him a DM. Love what you’re putting out there, would enjoy interviewing you and Matt. LMK if it’s possible. Here’s my interview with another QB, Troy Aikman that I think you’ll enjoy. It took 20 seconds. No AI. All in, under a minute of my time.
He graciously replied, now we’re on email.
Somedays I get crickets, others quick responses.
Get in, get out. Have a purpose, process and payoff.
You don’t need likes and validation all day long.
Give Yourself a Break
You don’t need to be on every platform doing all this stuff just because everybody else is.
I’m working on maximizing middle age. For myself. And, I’m working on helping other men maximize middle age solely by virtue of living my message everyday. If anything I am doing, saying, writing or experiencing can be of value or of help to anybody else, that’s wonderful. If not, go find somebody who can be more helpful to you, someone who can be of greater value.
Part of what I love the most about building Midlife Male is the process of making things happen, so why would I delegate that out and devalue everything that has the most value?
I just wanted to talk to Brandon. I want to talk to Matt. Just like I wanted to meet Dan Gluck, workout with Lance Armstrong, hike with Jesse Itzler and train with Laird Hamilton.
And you’re not gonna meet them on LinkedIn by leaving a forgettable comment they won’t see.
You gotta go where they are.
You gotta do what they do.
You gotta transcend the game. It goes far beyond this algorithm.
And it starts by living your message.
The best, the brightest, the happiest, the most successful, the wealthiest, healthiest, whatever adjective you want to put on it, are not sitting here commenting on everybody else’s comments.
They are not just randomly hyping up everybody on a revolving door of incessant cross-promotion. They’re out there doing the things that get commented on.
And here’s the biggest irony:
If the “engagement” plummeted across ALL of LinkedIn and people stopped logging on every day, you’d be happier.
Why?
Because it would mean you’d be out there doing more than just commenting.
You’d be living.
Think about that.
In Health,
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Greg Scheinman
Founder, Midlife Male
52. Husband. Father. Entrepreneur. Coach.
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