---
title: The Game of Life
modified: 2026-06-17
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> [The reason to play the game is to be free of it.” — Naval Ravikant](https://youtu.be/KyfUysrNaco)

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= 人生賽局

* Be carefully selective/picky in the games you choose to play. Which game you play is much more important than how well you play the game. Fight battles you are destined to win.
* Don’t play games you don’t want to win. If you play stupid games, you will win stupid prizes. [Escape the rat race cycle.](https://fs.blog/david-foster-wallace-this-is-water/)
* Analogy: 夾娃娃機
	* 本體 (e.g., 機台造型、擺設方式)
	* 贈品 (e.g., 保夾金額、物品價值)

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|                              Finite Game (有限賽局)                               |                            Infinite Game (無限賽局)                             |
| :---------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
|                          is short-term, soon-ending                           |                         is long-term, never-ending                          |
|         = Zero-Sum Game (零和遊戲) [^1] = Multi-Player Game = Status Game [^2]         |     = Positive-Sum Game (正和遊戲) [^3] = Single-Player Game = Wealth Game      |
|    You win by avoiding errors and waiting for your opponent to make errors    |                 You win by hitting incredible/elegant shots                 |
|                          The goal is to win the game                          |        The goal is to stay in the game and continue playing forever         |
|      打敗多少人? ([Competition](escape-competition-through-authenticity.md))       |                           幫助多少人? ([Collaboration](the-social-slope-effect.md))                            |
| Either WIN or LOSE<br>(Any gain corresponds directly with an equivalent loss) | WIN-WIN（互通有無、互利共生 ([symbiosis](https://www.google.com/search?q=symbiosis))） |
|                           Egoism (Selfishness) 利己主義                           |                                Altruism 利他主義                                |
|                            Fixed/Scarcity Mindset                             |              [Growth/Abundance Mindset](the-growth-mindset.md)              |
|                              有限賽局的玩家是為了防止未來改變過去                               |                              無限賽局的玩家是為了讓未來改變過去                              |

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| Mindset            | Statement 1        | Statement 2     | Statement 3                   |
|--------------------|--------------------|------------------|--------------------------------|
| **Competitor**     | “You win, I lose”  | “My success”     | “I rise by outdoing others”    |
| **Comrade 同志；戰友**        | “You win, I win”   | “Our success”    | “We rise by lifting others”    |

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[@carseFiniteInfiniteGames2012]

* **出奇制勝**結束了**有限**遊戲；而**出乎意料**則是**無限**遊戲繼續進行的原因
* To be prepared against surprise is to be trained. To be prepared for surprise is to be educated. (準備應對驚喜，意味著接受訓練；準備迎接驚喜，意味著接受教育)
	* While training is essential for certain scenarios, education is more important for truly navigating the complexities and [uncertainties of life](life-is-chaotic.md)
		* **Training**: A more rigid approach where you aim to minimize surprises by mastering specific skills or responses.
			* 訓練是在未來重複一個已經完成的過去
		* **Education**: A more dynamic, flexible approach that allows you to engage with and learn from surprises when they happen.
			* 教育是將未完成的過去延續到未來

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# [The 2 Types of Status by Sahil Bloom](https://www.sahilbloom.com/newsletter/the-2-types-of-status-bought-vs-earned)

| Earned Status Game | Bought Status Game |
| :---: | :---: |
| _Could the richest person in the world acquire the thing I want by tomorrow?_ | _Would I still be interested in buying (or doing/learning) this thing if I could not show it to anyone or tell anyone about it?_ |
| If the answer to this question is NO, you’re playing an Earned Status Game. | If the answer to this question is NO, you’re playing a Bought Status Game. |
| 要裡子 | 爭面子 |

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[Work smart](work-smart.md)

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[Escape competition through authenticity](escape-competition-through-authenticity.md)

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[Everything in life has an opportunity cost](everything-in-life-has-an-opportunity-cost.md)

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[Winner’s Game vs Loser’s Game](winners-game-vs-losers-game.md)

[^1]: [Race to the bottom](https://www.google.com/search?q=Race+to+the+bottom)
[^2]: [Unlike wealth game, status game is inherently combative and driven by competition.](https://youtu.be/KyfUysrNaco?t=943s) [In the wealth game, more people are winning overall. But in the status game, there are essentially more losers.](https://youtu.be/KyfUysrNaco?t=10444s)
[^3]: 把餅做大