The Game of Life: And How to Win
“The Game of Life has two participants, spectators and players. Pick one.”
- Unknown
I look at life like a game. It is a complex, multi-layered adventure with challenges, strategies, and playmakers. The big question is how to win and play the game purposefully and gracefully. I have been the proverbial “fly on the wall” as I watched individuals in the sporting world, in business, and in life climb to the top or fall on their faces. I have found that those who were seen as “successful” or those who failed again and again had three things in common: A Unique Passion, a deep Understanding of the Process, and the Willingness to Outwork everyone. These three traits formed a foundation for success, but those who did not embrace the three never developed a foundation that would lead to their success.
Follow Your Passion: The Heart of the Game
My son, Alex, had pursued a degree in computer science when he started college. Two years into his journey, he had an epiphany. He didn’t love the work he was doing, and he didn’t see his time behind a computer as fulfilling.
He came to my wife and me and told us he was changing his course load to earn a degree in Sports Science. We supported his transition because he spoke passionately about why he “needed” to make the change. He completed the coursework to earn his B.S. in just a year and a half, and 18 months later, he earned his master’s degree in Sports Science. For the last four years, he has been working as a college strength coach at a Power 5 school’s football program – loving every minute of his life because he was living his passion.
Following your passion isn’t just about pursuing hobbies but connecting with your core. It lights the fire in your spirit and pushes you along your journey. Work becomes exciting when you engage in activities that are part of your value system. The “grind” becomes a labor of love. It is no longer a job but more of a calling. Following your passion is vital to winning the game of life.
Those who don’t follow their passion are constantly frustrated. They continue to do a job that does not fill them up, and those who work without passion are never excited about the next day. They look forward to the weekend when they can leave their job. People who work for the money soon find themselves always needing more. Those who chase the prestige become burned out because their standards change like the wind. They surround themselves with toys and visions of glamour. Because there is no structure, getting others to commit to their ideas is impossible. Those chasing “visions” will lose everything because they lack the anchors that stop them from crashing onto the rocks.
Understand the Process: The Strategy Behind the Moves
Today, everyone is looking for a hack or a shortcut to “beating the game”.
We watch a stranger online lose 30 pounds and want to follow their lead. We listen to someone, we have never met, tell us how to make bundles of money, and we are all in. It seems so easy. When it doesn’t happen for us, we wonder why.
The problem is that we don’t take the time to understand the process. We get caught up in the result and can only see the end product.
Understanding how weight is lost or how money is made takes time. We want to be thin and rich NOW! Researching to comprehend the process entirely is a slow process. You must be willing to ask “stupid questions” until you grasp the inner workings of any system. We can make significant decisions when we understand the nuances of what lies before us. This newfound knowledge allows us to pivot, refine, and ultimately succeed.
Those who get caught up in a vision without building the essential infrastructure to allow the vision to come to fruition live in a fantasy. The steps to being great allow one to become great; none of us have an elevator that makes things magically happen. Whether in one's personal life, professional life, or spiritual path, we need to understand each step of the process. There are no shortcuts; we must put in the work and invest the time to work through the process of being successful.
During my time in the NFL, I watched as 80% of players went broke and had to file for bankruptcy within five years of retiring because they had no idea what to do with the bags of money they were being paid. They made terrible investments after bad investments, trusting people who had no concept of the process of building wealth.
When we understand the process of being successful, we will never struggle with the traps and pitfalls that others run into because we have worked them out by planning each move of the game.
Outwork Everyone: The Will to Win
Every evening before you go to bed, prepare for the next day. Your day is scheduled; your clothes are ready, and you set two alarms. You prepare better than anyone else. When you work, you work to be the best, not just as good, but to set the bar. You control all that you control: effort, enthusiasm, and attitude. You don’t let a clock dictate your start or finish time; you finish when you are two steps ahead of everyone else. Why two steps? Everyone else who is highly motivated will try to get a step ahead. Don’t be like others; it is okay to be different.
Being different means being unique in the way you go about your life. In the morning, Kobe Bryant would see the rest of his team members in the hotel lobby. They were coming in from partying, and he was heading out to start his workout at 4:00 a.m.
Russell Wilson would get to the facility at 5:00 am, I know, because we would be pulling into the empty parking lot together. I was getting two steps ahead; he was getting his two steps ahead. We would walk in, talking about how lucky we were.
Those who wake up late have no compass or map to where they are going, let alone where they are at, and will constantly be “behind schedule.” They struggle with the simplicity of tasks because they are never prepared. They look for sympathy and hope that they are allowed to slide by. Blame is their only weapon. They never take responsibility for the issues that they have caused. They watch the clock, hoping the day will magically fly by, and only talk about their plans for the next weekend, not the rest of their lives. Don’t laugh; this group makes up the other 99% of the population. They don’t want to work; they don’t want to sacrifice. They want. They want what the top 1% have earned.
Outworking others is about dedication to continual improvement and resilience—embracing the grind, the obstacles, and even the failures. A disciplined approach encapsulates what it truly means to outwork everyone: it’s understanding that effort has several sides, including the mind, body, and spirit.
The Game Awaits
As we move through this intricate game of life, we are not just looking for one big win; we are crafting a successful journey consisting of a series of consecutive victories. Those who win the Game of Life will always follow their passions, understand the processes that frame their goals and dreams, and embrace hard work with unrelenting resolve.
You don’t need to be the most talented or the most gifted; you only need to be the best version of yourself as you play this game. When you blend your passion with the knowledge you have gathered along the way and an unstoppable desire to be two steps ahead, you have all you will need to win the game of life.
Winning the game of life isn’t about keeping score; it's about the quality of the journey, the connections we make, and the legacies we create. So, let your passion guide you, equip yourself with knowledge, and outwork everything that stands in your way. The game is in front of you; now go play it well.
Have an amazing day!
