From Fish to Fishing

Rewriting My Mission at Zenalytics

Last week, I stumbled across an old journal entry from over a year ago. It was lines and lines of me venting about a creative dilemma that had been eating at me. Reading it now, it still feels like something I could have written last week.

You've probably heard the old proverb: "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."

For a long time, this saying had me twisted in knots. I create content about trading, and I kept framing my work as an either/or choice. Either I was "giving fish" (sharing trade ideas and quick analysis) or I was "teaching to fish" (explaining frameworks and methodologies). The internal conflict was real.

What made it worse was that I could see exactly what people wanted. My trade idea posts? They'd have lots of readers, get shared, create this burst of engagement. Classic flash-in-the-pan stuff. Meanwhile, my educational pieces would slowly accumulate readers over time, evergreen and steady, but they'd never match that initial pop of the quick-hit content.

So there I was, stuck between giving people what they clearly wanted in the moment versus what I believed would actually help them long-term. Going full "here's today's trade" felt hollow; it wouldn't help anyone develop their own skills. But going full educator mode? That pushes away folks who, for whatever reason, just need the insight right now (and hey, no judgment there).

Then bringing this raw topic up to an impartial third-party I got all the clarity I needed. I'd been thinking about this all wrong.

My process didn't have to be two diverging paths. Instead, I could think of it like a funnel, where both approaches work together. The actionable analysis draws people in, gives them immediate value, builds trust. Some will take that fish and move on, and that's totally fine. But others will stick around, get curious about how I caught that fish in the first place, and gradually absorb the methodology behind it.

It's not giving versus teaching. It's giving and then teaching, for those who want it.

This realization completely changed how I think about my mission so I rewrote it:

Zenalytics exists to provide clear, systematic analysis of the crypto markets for those who need it, while simultaneously teaching the principles and frameworks that will empower you to become self-sufficient.

Here's the part that really speaks to my core beliefs: My ultimate goal is for you to outgrow my work.

I know that might sound like bad business, but think about it. The best teachers, mentors, and guides you've had in your life? They didn't want you dependent on them forever. They wanted to see you spread your wings, take what they taught you, and fly even higher. I don’t want a following, I want peers.

When in conversation someone tells me they haven’t kept up with my analysis because they've developed their own framework, that's not a loss. That's the whole point and why I got started hitting the publish button in the first place.

So whether you're here for today's fish or learning to cast your own line, you're in the right place. Take what you need, stay as long as it serves you, and when you're ready to sail your own ship? I'll be the first one cheering from the shore. We can talk about what you caught and how when you get back so you can teach me your ways.

@ThePrivacySmurf