I’m sure we’ve all been there before. We see somebody else succeed, and we can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. We think to ourselves, “Why them and not me? What do they have that I don’t?”
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Success is a zero-sum game. That is, if someone else is successful, it means that there is less Success to go around for everyone else.
But that’s not how Life and Success work. Success doesn’t come at the expense of someone else. And it certainly doesn’t negate the possibility of someone else succeeding in their life.
We can all create it by coming up with new ideas, new techniques & technologies, and innovative ways to do old things. This article aims to explore how:
A little bit on Game Theory
Game theory is the study of strategic decision-making. It is often used in economics, political science, and psychology. In game theory, there are two types of games: zero-sum games and non-zero-sum games.
A zero-sum game is one in which one person’s gain is equal to another person’s loss. The net result of the game is always 0. For example, if I win $10 in a bet, that means someone else loses $10. Zero-sum games are also known as “negative-sum games.”
A non-zero-sum game is a game in which one person’s gain does not equal another person’s loss. For example, in the game of chess, one player may win the game while the other player loses. But, both players had fun playing the game, and neither player felt like they had lost anything. Moreover, both players learn something from each other’s game, which helps them improve their game.
Non-zero sum games are also known as “positive sum games.”
Why Success is not a Zero-Sum Game
Success is not a zero-sum game because your Success does not come at the expense of someone else’s Success.
In a zero-sum game, one person’s gain is directly equal to another person’s loss. But in the real world, Success does not work like that.
Your Success does not come at the expense of someone else’s Success. And someone else’s Success does not cancel out your own.
Success is, in fact, a positive sum game. Success is created by creating win-win situations for others.
Great Success can never be achieved alone. It requires the work of several people working in tandem to work for a common goal. As the saying goes,
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
When you share your knowledge, expertise, and experiences to help others succeed, they are more likely to help you succeed.
If you see success as a zero-sum game, life becomes a series of cutthroat competitions. You reach the top by taking others down.
— Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) February 17, 2022
If you see the possibility of mutual benefit, your goals shift from crushing the competition to making a contribution. You rise by lifting others up.
The Scarcity Mindset is a Major Obstacle to Success
The scarcity mindset is the belief that there is not enough Success to go around. This mindset leads people to believe that they must take from others to succeed.
The scarcity mindset is a significant obstacle to Success because it leads people to believe that there is a limited quantity of Success to go around for everybody, and they have to snatch and steal from others to succeed. This is not true!
Success isn’t a zero-sum game. There’s enough Success to go around for everybody – in fact, there’s more Success than there are people in this world.
Your Success does not come at the expense of someone else’s. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner you begin to grow.
The Abundance Mindset is the Key to Success
The abundance mindset is the belief that there is enough Success to go around. This mindset leads people to believe they can create win-win situations for others.
When people see Success as something that isn’t scarce – as something that’s abundantly available in the world, it forces them to act with more confidence and a positive aura. They know they cannot lose because they’ll always find another avenue or another opportunity to succeed.
They know that opportunities are common. And even though somebody else took up the opportunity they were going after, they can still come up with more opportunities later on.
Failure is Not the End of the World.
Many people fear failure because they believe it is the world’s end. But it’s not. Failure is just a part of life.
The feeling of failure being the end evolves from believing that there are only a few opportunities to succeed. And if somebody else takes away those opportunities, one can’t find more, or it is tough for one to find more. But as I already explained above, that isn’t the case.
Opportunities to succeed are abundant, and it simply takes a shift in mindset to see them all around you.
Never fear failure. It is an integral part of the journey to Success.
It’s an opportunity to learn and grow.
Final Thoughts
Success is not a zero-sum game. But it’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking so.
In reality, nobody’s Success comes at the cost of someone else’s Success.
Success is a positive sum game. It is created by creating win-win situations for others. And the key to creating win-win situations for all is to have an abundance mindset.
