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title: You can’t beat someone who genuinely enjoys the work itself
modified: 2026-06-27
tags: []
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> “Enthusiasm is the great hill-climber.” — Elbert Hubbard

> [“Play is our first energizer. Life is stressful. Play makes it fun. If we can integrate the spirit of play into our lives, we’ll feel better — and do more too.” — Ali Abdaal, Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/100097284-feel-good-productivity-how-to-do-more-of-what-matters-to-you)

> [“One way to instantly gain a competitive edge is to work on things that genuinely interest you. The person who is having fun has a better chance of winning because they are more likely to stick with it when things get challenging. If it felt like a hassle from the start, you’re likely to quit as soon as things get tough. But if you’ve been having fun the whole time, you’re better positioned to work through the hard parts.” — James Clear](https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/november-13-2025)

> “A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between work and play; labor and leisure; mind and body; education and recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.” — Lawrence Pearsall Jacks

> 知之者不如好之者，好之者不如樂之者。
> —《論語 · 雍也》

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# 樂在其中/走火入魔的人 > 認真 [勤奮努力](work-hard.md) 的人

There is an enormous difference between [working hard](work-hard.md) on something that is a grind and working hard on something that comes easily to you. Exceptional results almost exclusively happen when you work hard on an area where you have some natural aptitude. Play to your strengths.

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# [Joy](find-joy-not-pleasure.md) = Ultimate Competitive Advantage

We perform our best when we are _having fun_ and _feeling good_ about ourselves.

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It’s hard to compete with someone who is just there to have fun.

It’s almost impossible to beat someone who genuinely enjoys the work itself.

[Never try to compete against someone who is obsessed (like Kobe Bryant)](https://youtu.be/tqiMvVIwu1g)

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[Find your “unfair competitive advantages”](leverage.md): 清楚知道自己的強項與天賦 [^1]，把興趣變成自己的優勢。

And when you find that thing—that game you genuinely enjoy—good luck to anyone trying to compete with you.

Simple Rule: If a thing makes you forget to eat, it’s probably worth doing. If it feels like pushing a boulder uphill every day, it might be the wrong thing for you.

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[Not caring lets us perform better](not-caring-lets-us-perform-better.md)

[^1]: [組合技，非特定技能 (unique blend of interests, hobbies, and eccentricities)](specific-knowledge.md)