The Flawed Thinking in “I Don’t Like the Game Because it’s Hard”

The Flawed Thinking in “I Don’t Like the Game Because it’s Hard”

by | Mar 20, 2023 | Entrepreneurship

While working out, I was watching a YouTube video in which the host talked about games everyone apparently loves, but he hates.

His main argument for hating one very mainstream Action RPG game was the fact that he had trouble solving the quests and found many of the solutions a little too obscure.

It’s such a good metaphor for how we approach the game of creativity or business.

Our blood, sweat, and tears go into our art and our products, only for them to be torn apart by the world upon their official release.

I recently shared a sample from my latest book with a friend, and he didn’t like the writing style. But I learned something from that – 1) that if I’m going to share my creations with people who don’t really know my work, I should only show them the highlights, and 2) some people simply don’t understand speed of delivery, the value in having your audience experience something even as you’re developing it. They value perfectionism over shipping, and they may never ship themselves. It’s easier to hide behind perfectionism than it is to endure criticism and rejection.

It’s easier to hide behind perfectionism than it is to endure criticism and rejection. Click To Tweet

And it’s not a matter of right or wrong. It’s a difference in thinking.

But it’s a fact of life the game of creativity or business won’t always be easy. You may know that you have something valuable to share with the world. You may even have awards and credentials and testimonials to back it up. But there will always be those who disagree.

Some challenges are difficult to solve. On your path to success, you can run into financial and personal issues of every persuasion.

Assuming you learn something from the impasses you encounter in-game, you can hatch a scheme to overcome them. You can level up your experience.

But if you give up on the game because it’s too hard, you’ve got a mindset challenge. You don’t need to work on your art or make a better product. Leveling up your mindset should be your priority.

I understand that the game can be frustrating when it’s hard. But it can also get very boring when it’s too easy. We need challenges to rise to.

Don’t quit the game because it’s too hard. Quit the game when you know you never stand a chance at becoming the best at it, as Seth Godin shares in The Dip.

You will leave opportunity on the table if you give up just because the game is hard.

You will leave opportunity on the table if you give up just because the game is hard. Click To Tweet
“Don’t Fall in Love with an Idea”

“Don’t Fall in Love with an Idea”

by | Jan 12, 2022 | Entrepreneurship

We’ve been trying to do the same things with greater intensity and rigidity this past year, and it’s still not working. It’s exactly what’s been happening politically. This year let’s follow a different path. Let’s do new things in a new way.

My friend echoed and cemented the thoughts that had already been swirling around in my mind.

One of the things I’ve been starting to see in my yearlong leadership program is to not get your identity wrapped up in your work.

Experts often say, “don’t fall in love with an idea.” But this is what they really mean:

When your identity is tied into your projects or ventures, you have a tougher time giving it up when it’s not working. Loss aversion sets in, and you start to believe that you have more to lose giving something up than you can possibly gain from it.

That’s a dangerous way of thinking. Because deadweight is deadweight, and like a boat anchor, it can only weigh you down. Letting go of troublesome clients, purging business units that are only taking up time, and giving up “means to an end” projects is word to the wise. What you free up in terms of mental and emotional space alone makes the temporary loss of revenue far less of a concern.

When is the right time to move onto the next thing? Not even author Seth Godin can say, though he addresses the issue from multiple angles in The Dip.

But some part of you already knows. It gnaws at you and keeps gnawing at you. It’s almost as if the universe is granting you an opening to say, “here’s your opportunity to get out – take it.”

If you get your identity wrapped up in your work, you’ll find yourself in love with an idea who doesn’t love you back.

If you get your identity wrapped up in your work, you’ll find yourself in love with an idea who doesn’t love you back. Click To Tweet

The idea you had is somewhere back there, in the past. Meanwhile, you’re right here, in the present. In a difference space and time than when and where the idea was originally created. You were a different person then. And that gap can be too huge to overcome. Repairing a foundation is difficult and expensive. It’s always best to build on a solid foundation, even if it takes longer.

We need to be able to give something up when it’s not working.

“Ready, fire, aim” might seem like wisdom for the ages in a fast-moving world. There’s something to be said for first mover’s advantage, but is there any long-term benefit to it? Only if others don’t come along and do what we’re doing better than we can. And that always happens in hot markets.

Move with speed when you know what you’re doing. Move slowly when there are too many unknowns left unaddressed. And accept that there will always be blind spots, no matter how well you cover for them. We can’t know everything. But we can start with a foundation that facilitates success.