“Always be clear about what game you’re playing” is an idea that’s been top of mind over the past couple of years. I keep a page in my OneNote book titled “The Game I’m Playing” and update it every 6 months.
The goal of the page is to remind myself of my approach to key decisions – career, personal wealth, etc. It is a simple and periodic way to recommit to playing long-term games.
I think it is important to be clear-headed about this because it is easy to be distracted by others who’re playing different – often short-term – games.
To that end, I came across a thought-provoking post by Kyle Harrison, a venture capitalist about games in investing and building companies. The whole post is worth reading in full as it touches on a variety of topics (including the hype around AI companies) – it has a great conclusion.
In the world of building and investing in companies, there are a LOT of different games at play. The only way to avoid finding yourself playing a stupider game is to look around and understand the games that everyone else is playing. And adjust accordingly.
I think the conclusion applies well beyond building and investing in companies. It applies to careers and to life as a whole.
Know what game you’re playing. Calibrate with the games you see around you to make sure you’re avoid playing stupid games.
