LEVELS TO PLAYING

THE GAME
Playing To Lose

Many of you are here in life. Your job, your health, your
relationships, your money, your appearance, your attitude, your
friends, your debt, your home. Everything. Playing to lose looks like
simply playing a game, you not only have no intention on winning, or
beating your opponent, but actively trying to fail. Even if you are not
consciously aware of it, you’re getting something out of it.
You can be happy, or you can be right. Some of you, are
probably more often right than you are happy. You don’t deserve
health, you don’t deserve love, you don’t deserve money, and you’re
so right, so correct, and construct a reality in which nothing else can
be true. Playing to lose, it proving to yourself that your more
comfortable with the narrative you’ve created about yourself, no
matter how horrible it is, than you would be… enjoying your life. This
realization, should hurt. Because, it is your fault. But just as easy you
create losing circumstances, you can create winning ones. Read on
to see how you
 Playing To Not Lose

Playing to not lose, is not just doing the bare minimum, but it’s
actively being in a state of panic, fear, and doing more than you
think you should be doing, not to get ahead, but to survive.
Constantly in survival mode, creates added hormonal stress to your
body, where you are in constant ght or flight, having no energy for
anything, because you are depleted. The thing is, playing to not lose,
is still losing. You are not winning, you are not getting ahead, it’s like if
you kick as ferociously and violently as possible to keep your head
above the water, maybe you’ll live, when in reality all you’re doing is
expending more energy then needed, which takes away your
energy for actually getting out of the water rather than just keeping
your head up. Isn’t it funny how your taught “sit in a lawn chair
position” when your stuck in the water?
Playing to not lose is focusing on losing, not winning. You just
don’t want to be last. To be fair, in certain circumstances, this is the
bare minimum that is required. But the focus is on losing. You don’t
want to lose, you don’t want less, you don’t want failure. How are
you supposed to aim higher when you are only focused on what’s
below you?
This level of playing means you’re not committed to winning. It’s
almost the same as playing to lose, where you are actively self
sabotaging, but here, you think you aren’t self sabotaging, because
you feel like you’re giving it your all, but in reality you are cementing
a subconscious narrative that is, “no matter how hard I try, I will fail”.
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 The analogy of “work smarter not harder” is going to be you’re
slogan for the next while. Why? What fruit is there to gain when you
expend all of your energy, and labor, for such small rewards? When,
if you can just get of your head, just a little bit, and think of a
di erent approach, you can maybe, actually, get ahead.
The bare minimum is over for you now.

Playing to Play

This level of playing is a facade of nihilism. Nothing means

anything, you’re in the game to waste your time, because you’re
bored, because you don’t know what else to do, because it’s a
distraction, whatever it is. This level of committed is just about getting
by, not looking to grow, not looking to succeed, let alone challenge
yourself. While this is appropriate in some areas of life, like passing
time at a roulette table while you wait for your event, this is not the
game you want to play with your life. You did all the things you were
told to do. Maybe that was go to college, get the big corporate job,
start the family, etc. Those are all notable and respectable
accomplishments on their own. However, are you just getting by?
Just staying in line? Playing it safe? What would your life look like if
you took a risk for something bigger? What would your life look like
if you actually challenged yourself. No, not challenge as in
something you already know you can and will do, but actually
challenge yourself. Doing the things that scares you, the thing that
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 makes you nervous, the thing you quickly bury in the back of your
mind, because heaven forbid we step out of line. What actually
terri es you. Of course, loosing everything is terrifying if you quit your
job, and that’s not what I'm suggesting. Maybe the terrifying thing is
taking yourself seriously. Maybe the terrifying thing in life is to stop
acting like everything is a joke, and that it’s all a game, and nothing is
serious. Because that would mean, you would have to do something
about it. That means, you would actually have to get out of your
comfort zone. Playing to Play is taking your life, what’s in your heart
of hearts, as something to ignore, as something that just happens,
and that what is more important is being chill, not stressing about
anything. The thing is you’re right, stress does nothing for the soul.
However, it’s also, still, not taking your life seriously. You can honestly
get by just playing to play. However, you’re not here reading this,
because you feel like playing a game. You signed up because you
wanted a challenge. You signed up because, you actually do want
to take yourself seriously.
Leaving this realm, requires a sober look in the mirror, and a
level of maturity to ask yourself, if you’re ready to play with the big
boys.

Playing to Win
Playing to win, is what full commitment looks like. Let me be
very clear, playing to win looks like doing whatever it takes. What
does that mean? That means that you’re excuses will be valid, but
that doesn’t matter. That means, the goal you have, and the
discomfort you know you will have to go through to get there, is
worth sacri cing everything. This is what winners do. Winners are
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fully committed, they will in fact do whatever it takes, and since you
aren’t willing to do whatever it takes, they will beat you every single
fucking time.
I want you to think of someone in your life, you would do
anything for. Maybe it’s your spouse, maybe it’s your children. Would
you not be willing to do whatever it takes, to help them if it was up
to you to solve their problem? Would you not sacri ce your own
comfort, to take care of your sick child?
Remember, you “why” is your GOAL. I don’t want you to think “I
can’t wait to hit this goal!” That’s great, but I want you to think “This
is WHY I AM hitting my goal.” When framed in this way, when you
can feel the emotion you have put behind this journey, it unlocks the
level of doing whatever it takes, which is the full level of
commitment, which means, you are playing to win.

The only way to be commit to this goal, is if you play to win.

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