Simon Sinek, one of my favorite authors, wrote an amazing book, “The Infinite Game” and it really got me thinking about the frustrations many of us face in life and why we might be feeling chronic stress in life and business. Mr. Sinek opens his book with a description of a Finite game vs an Infinite game.
Finite Gaming
A Finite game is one that has clear rules, a clear beginning and an end and a defined winner and a loser. An Infinite game is one that no one can “win”, typically is on-going with no real end, and the players are not clearly defined. An example of a Finite game is a typical sporting event, like football or baseball. In these games, it is very clear at the end to say who won and who lost and what the score was. With an Infinite game, the rules may change as the game goes on, one may never know when it is game over, or who the real players are. It is important for one to take a big step back and use your observer skills to honestly assess what game you are playing.
We can get frustrated in work and life if think we are playing a finite game but really, we are in the middle of an infinite game. For example, running a business is an infinite game of sorts, where the game will change from day to day and year to year, but we often talk about how we are the “best” at something or an “award winning business”, but really, once that award is given, the game keeps playing on and on.
Profitability is an infinite game because a business can be profitable one month and not the next. Growth in business is an infinite game because today, in business, we must constantly adapt and change to take on new audiences, sell new products, and gain marketing advantages. Yes, we can make smaller Finite games within an Infinite world and that might be the key to having more fun or feeling more satisfied in your life.
5 Steps to a Fresh Game Perspective
If you are feeling stuck, or frustrated with your life, try these 5 steps to get a fresh perspective on where you are.
1. Take a moment to make a list of everything on your mind that you feel you are trying to handle.
2. Next, determine if each thing on your list is Infinite or Finite.
3. For the Finite tasks, put an objective measure on it so you can know if you have achieved or when you could achieve it.
4. Next, create a plan to achieve the most important Finite task.
5. For the things on the Infinite list, create a small game with a short, finite goal and it now becomes able to be handled.
If you are still stuck or can’t figure out what to do, hiring a coach can be helpful to make sense of a crazy world. Click on “Request a Sample Session” button to get started on a new life of abundance!