15th January 2025
I recently attended a conference wherein, at the start of the panel discussion, the moderator asked us to give a 1-2 minute opening on,
Who we are,
and a response to one question:
“What game are you playing?”
When it was my turn, I started speaking and continued until my time was up. I thought it was fine, but the moderator looked at me and said, “Ok, so what game are you playing?”
I thought I had answered that, but clearly, I had not.
As I started to jumble together a second attempt at a response, I realized that I didn’t have a great one, a much scarier thought than unable to have a valid response, especially in this group setting.
I think a lot about knowing whether the prize for the game you’re playing is a prize that you actually want—but I’ve never spent much time on actually defining the game.
In reflecting on it, I recognized my problem: My game had changed.
The game I was playing has slowly morphed, from one focused purely on providing greater value, to one focused broadly on impact, but I hadn’t taken the time to clearly define that and what it would require.
Always know the game you’re playing and whether you want the prize for winning that game.
The biggest failures stem from either
(a) playing a game without understanding it or
(b) playing a game with a prize you don’t really want.
It’s easy to default into the game that seems most obvious—the one your parents selected for you, the one your course of studies selected for you, the one your risk aversion selected for you.
Don’t climb the mountain & realise that this is not the view you were looking for.
Before you proceed, ask yourself:
Do I know the game I’m playing right now?
Do I want the prize for winning this game?
If you can answer “yes” to both, dive in.
If not, pause and reassess and change course now and start playing the game you actually want to play & stay blessed forever.