Right now I’m reading a book by Simon Sinek called The Infinite Game.
It’s a little dry and it could probably be a blog post, but I like the message as it explains my mentality with regards to business in a way that I wasn’t able to articulate before.
The premise is that there are two games that you can play: the Finite Game and the Infinite Game.
The Finite Game has winners and losers.
The Infinite Game has none because there is no end.
When I got a job for a web hosting company I was told grand visions of what they wanted to do to make the world a better place. This might’ve happened to you as well when you joined a company.
You join thinking that you’re going to help change the world, but what happens after a couple of months?
You realize everything that you’re doing is for the short-term, the Finite Game. You realize that everything is just for the investors or the owners.
You begin to wonder what’s the point of anything that you do?
Well, the answer is obvious: to make more money. Nothing more, nothing less.
It’s discouraging because you don’t want life to be just about making money. You understand money is a necessity but if that was the only thing to life then there are a million other jobs that you could choose that are less stressful.
But there is more to life.
I think within all of us, there is a want to make the world a better place. Now, people have different visions of that better world, but if you work on something you want it to be meaningful.
This is infinite thinking and it’s what was impossible for me to find working for anyone else.
If I wanted to continue with an infinite mindset then I had no choice but to start my own business.
And that’s where we are now.
I want you to know that it’s normal to think about starting a business that has a positive impact on people. It’s natural to think that way because you have an infinite mindset.
However, it’s also important to acknowledge that you want to better your current situation and that requires money.
It’s important to know that those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
Making money and having an infinite mindset can easily co-exist.
Think of it like this. With an infinite mindset the only thing you’re concerned about is how can you make your Hero’s world better.
That’s it.
And guess what? When you can make their world better they’ll give you money and they’ll tell their friends and family about you which will make you more money.
But not everybody plays it like this.
Most people that you see trying to sell you a specific course or program play the finite game and because of that you end up buying something that isn’t that useful.
Sometimes it might be absolute trash and that’s okay to the owner because it gets them money now.
It’s not about having a lasting impact on someone’s life. It’s about how can they be more efficient in making a lot of money so they can enjoy their own life.
You can’t create a better world with that mentality.
It’s just not possible.
So what we do here at Odd Noodle is make sure that you don’t have to sacrifice your infinite mindset just so you can make money.
The Infinite Game is about being happy with what you do and being rewarded because you did it.