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There are levels to everything around us.
Where I am satisfied with getting to experience just 1 NFL game with my son some day, a friend is talking about buying into a suite to help network.
Listening to a roundtable of CEOs talk about their weekend, they’re talking about how they “bought a minority stake in a soccer team…” while I’m on the wait list for tickets for the same team.
We’re all playing the same game. We all share the same passion and desires. But we’re at completely different levels.
Levels exist in everything around us, but we only focus on the tangible ones.
JV, Varsity, Pro, Freshman, Senior, Graduate, Intern, Engineering, Director.
But what about the intangible levels that dictate our actions, desires, and mood. It’s like a ladder. The visible ladder that everyone is gunning for steps you through your career by title. But there are invisible ladders that run in parallel to the ones we can see. Each invisible rung changes everything about how the visible game gets played.
The examples show a difference in financial levels. But the profound difference was in the access levels, influence levels, and opportunity levels
Most people are chasing the visible levels (titles, salaries, certifications) while ignoring the invisible levels (relationships, reputation, skills)
Here’s the thing about levels: you can’t skip them, but you can choose which game you’re playing.
For me? I’m chasing family legacy. My friend? He’s chasing professional relationships. And those CEOs? Industry influence.
All valid. All valuable. All different levels of the same game.
Competition is for losers.
So before you feel behind, ask yourself: which level are you actually playing at? Because once you know your level, you stop comparing scorecards and start building your game.
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