The Does-It-Serve-Me Decision Rule
Treat each experience as evidence, then keep only what moves you forward.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 91%
The rule reframes uncertain life and career experiments as information-gathering rather than binary successes or failures. Start by identifying what a path gives you, what it costs, and whether it supports the person or career you are trying to build. If it does not fit, extract the knowledge and experience before letting it go. That converts a disappointing outcome into better judgment for the next choice. The evaluation must also be repeated over time: an opportunity that would have helped ten years ago may distract from the work that matters now. The mechanism is simple—try, observe, learn, assess fit, and either recommit or release—allowing direction to emerge from accumulated evidence rather than a perfect advance plan.
Origin
Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show through Jonni Cheatwood's account of moving between sports, film school, teaching, restaurant work, commercial art, and fine art before finding a sustainable direction.
Core principles
- 01Experience is useful even when the original plan fails.
- 02Personal fit matters more than sunk costs or outside expectations.
- 03Trying varied paths produces evidence about what sustains you.
- 04An opportunity can fit one season and become wrong in another.
How to run it
- 1
Name the Current Need
Define what you need from the path now, such as creative energy, income, learning, access, or long-term alignment.
Pro tip Use present needs rather than the expectations that originally put you on the path.
Watch out Do not use a vague desire for comfort as the only criterion.
- 2
Run the Experience
Engage long enough to gather real evidence about the work, environment, and your willingness to persist.
Pro tip Notice which activities you continue without needing external pressure.
Watch out Judging before meaningful exposure can confuse unfamiliarity with poor fit.
- 3
Assess Whether It Serves You
Ask whether the path supports your direction, strengths, and sustained commitment. Distinguish a hard but meaningful path from one that consistently feels misaligned.
Pro tip Compare what the path teaches and enables with what it repeatedly costs.
Watch out Past investment alone is not evidence that you should continue.
- 4
Extract the Lesson
Record the skills, knowledge, relationships, and self-understanding gained even if the outcome did not work.
Pro tip State what you now know that you could not have known before trying.
Watch out Calling the whole experience a failure hides useful evidence.
- 5
Recommit or Release
Continue deliberately if the path fits; otherwise let it go and apply the lesson to the next experiment.
Pro tip Reassess opportunities as your career changes because fit is time-dependent.
Watch out Do not keep accepting outdated opportunities merely because you once wanted them.
In the wild
An aspiring professional follows a sports path largely shaped by family expectations, but direct experience shows that neither the training nor the destination holds his interest. He identifies the mismatch, retains the discipline and resilience learned, and explores other work until he finds a craft he willingly practices for years.
→ The abandoned path becomes evidence that guides a more durable career choice.
A gallery that ignored an artist years earlier later offers a project. Instead of accepting it as overdue validation, the artist compares it with his current representation, direction, and schedule and decides whether it still advances the career he has now.
→ The artist protects current priorities rather than chasing an outdated aspiration.
Common mistakes
Confusing Difficulty with Misalignment
A worthwhile path can still be frustrating or slow. Assess persistent fit and willingness to work, not whether every stage feels easy.
Discarding the Evidence
Leaving without identifying what was learned turns experimentation into repetition. Carry explicit lessons into the next decision.
Using Yesterday's Priorities
An opportunity's value changes as your skills, reputation, and direction evolve. Evaluate it against your current position.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for creatives and entrepreneurs choosing among uncertain careers, projects, relationships, or opportunities.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for abandoning difficult commitments solely because progress feels temporarily uncomfortable.
From the transcript
“I see them as this just didn't work and now I have that gain experience and that gained knowledge. And now I know what doesn't…”
“It would have been cool ten years ago, but like, it doesn't serve me now, you know?”
From the episode
Patience, Uncertainty, and Dish Washing: How Jonni Cheatwood Became a Renowned Artist and Built a Business Along the Way
Jonni Cheatwood