“My father has zero intellectual insecurities… It has never crossed his mind to be concerned that the world thinks he’s an idiot. He’s not in that game.”
Malcolm Gladwell
You could play many games in this life, but most people never take the time to figure out what those games are. You could, for instance, play a game where you’re trying to become the richest or the most famous. The problem with most games is that they’re stupid. As renowned investor Naval Ravikant once said, “Play stupid games, win stupid prices.” In other words, when you make foolish choices, you get what you deserve.
What would you say are the best games you could be playing? How about focusing on the important things you can’t buy? How about playing games where the result is a calm mind, a fit body, or mastery of a given skill? There are infinite ways to spend your free time, but instead of wasting it watching Netflix like everyone else, how about learning to play an instrument or reading nonfiction books? What if instead, you developed deep relationships with loved ones?
Similarly, we pay too much attention to what others think of us. In ancient times, this was important. If your tribe rejected you, you couldn’t make it on your own. But we don’t live in tribes anymore (at least not in the same way) and there are advantages to disagreeing with everyone else. How often did you feel the compulsion to do something and didn’t do it because you were worried about what others thought of you? Ask that girl you like, take the shot, start that YouTube channel, and ask the stupid question. Most times, people are too worried about themselves to worry about you. Even if they are concerned about you, there are rewards for those who take risks.
It’s time we think about the games we’re playing in life. There’s nothing worse than spending your life doing something, only to realize decades later, that you were playing the wrong game and that the rewards for doing so are meaningless. Taking risks and ignoring others is difficult, but that’s because it’s often where growth lies.