Playing to win
It ain’t coming you have to find it
–Let’s go by Rancid
I’ve never been much of a gambler. For me the pleasure of winning a hundred dollars is nothing compared to the intense suffering of loosing a single penny. As a result the only time I gamble is when it is with someone else’s money (no I don’t steal it… they get to keep any winnings I make). My personality isn’t geared for playing games in a casino when I know the house is going to have an edge against me.
The only game I will play at all (even with other’s money) is poker, because that’s the one time I feel like I can have a better than 50% chance at winning. If I feel that I’m up against better players at the table and don’t have a chance beyond just luck, then I stand up and leave the table. Playing to win for me involves having an edge over all the competition. Why compete at something where you know you’re already at a disadvantage? I wouldn’t challenge Lance Armstrong to a cycling race with money on the line - that would be stupid.
The same advice of only playing when you have an advantage can apply to career as well. Why do something if you know there are many people who can do it better than you? If you want a business to suceed you need to provide a material perceivable advantage over your competition. If you’re going to open the 30th coffee shop in town then you better have a coffee shop that is somehow different and more desirable than all the others. If you don’t, then one of them will make the changes and leave you in the dust. The same goes for picking a career working for others too. Recently a friend of mine asked me why I didn’t get a job working in the wine industry. Wine is my hobby and I like to think I’m reasonably knowledgable about it. I certainly enjoy it! However I know there are thousands of people out there who are far far more knowledgable about wine than I am, and if I went into the wine industry I would be relegated to the ranks of the mediocre. That’s not something I am willing to ever be. I don’t have an edge, so I’m better off finding an area where I have that material percievable advantage over the masses of competitors.
Play to win. When you’re looking for careers, first think about what you enjoy doing…. but then make sure you think about your own skills. Find that overlap between what you love and what you’re good at - that’s what you should be doing.
Tags: competitive advantage, entrepreneur, personal development, playing to win
