Wait, are you saying that ambition can only be fulfilled by playing zero-sum games? Creating a successful software company can yield more money than playing in the NBA. To me the question is more about which games you should choose, not how hard you should try to succeed. Or maybe I’m just completely misunderstanding your comments...
Wait, are you saying that ambition can only be fulfilled by playing zero-sum games?
Yeah, seems like a misunderstanding. Not sure where you inferred the “only” part from. Winning in zero-sum games is harder (but the reward is usually bigger), so no point playing them if you don’t care all that much. Anyway, it’s best to invent your own games, then they are positive sum for you.
Winning in zero-sum games is harder (but the reward is usually bigger)
Really? Business is generally positive sum: you win big by being unique, not by competing head to head. Sports is zero sum. Here are figures I came up with from a quick search.
Total of the 100 highest paid CEOs in the world in 2013: 3.028 billion.
Total of the 100 highest paid athletes in the world in 12 months to June 2014: 2.75 billion
I had actually expected the difference to be larger in that direction, but certainly the athletes are not doing better than the businessmen.
One could think of a lot of other possible measures; that was just one it was easy to find figures for.
Wait, are you saying that ambition can only be fulfilled by playing zero-sum games? Creating a successful software company can yield more money than playing in the NBA. To me the question is more about which games you should choose, not how hard you should try to succeed. Or maybe I’m just completely misunderstanding your comments...
Yeah, seems like a misunderstanding. Not sure where you inferred the “only” part from. Winning in zero-sum games is harder (but the reward is usually bigger), so no point playing them if you don’t care all that much. Anyway, it’s best to invent your own games, then they are positive sum for you.
Really? Business is generally positive sum: you win big by being unique, not by competing head to head. Sports is zero sum. Here are figures I came up with from a quick search.
Total of the 100 highest paid CEOs in the world in 2013: 3.028 billion.
Total of the 100 highest paid athletes in the world in 12 months to June 2014: 2.75 billion
I had actually expected the difference to be larger in that direction, but certainly the athletes are not doing better than the businessmen.
One could think of a lot of other possible measures; that was just one it was easy to find figures for.