Obviously, in sports, games, and competitions, the zero-sum rule makes sense. For one team to win, the other must lose. For one student to be top of the class, others must fall below; that is how those systems are designed, clear winners and losers, scoreboards and medals, rankings and records.
But life is not a scoreboard and when we begin to treat it like one, we start to shrink our world.
What is the Zero-Sum Game?
In game theory, a zero-sum game is one in which one person’s gain equals another person’s loss. There is only so much to go around, so for me to have more, you must have less.
But this mindset only makes sense in chess, poker, or football, NOT when applied to life, relationships, work, or self-improvement, because then it becomes toxic.
When we play life as a zero-sum game, we turn growth into rivalry, love into comparison, and collaboration into competition. We measure our worth not by what we have become, but by how we stack up against others.
The Subtle Poison of Comparison
Many people live as if others’ success somehow subtracts from their own. A friend’s promotion, a peer’s progress, a sibling’s recognition, and instead of inspiring them, it irritates them.
We begin to think: “If they are ahead, I must be behind.” But growth is not a race, and life is not a contest of limited trophies.
If someone else shines, it does NOT dim your light. In fact, their brightness can illuminate your own path, and the more we celebrate others, the freer we become from the envy that enslaves us.
As the Stoics would say: Another’s virtue does not diminish your own. And most importantly as Scripture instructs us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice” – Romans 12:15.
There is enough grace, success, and meaning in the world for everyone willing to grow.
The Abundance Game
Instead of playing the zero-sum game, play the abundance game. In the abundance game, you realize that life multiplies what you give. When you share knowledge, you do not lose wisdom; you deepen it instead. When you mentor others, you do not shrink; you expand. And when you love freely, you do not run out of love; it grows within you.
In life, there is a saying that goes like this: The pie grows bigger when we help others rise. True leaders do not compete for the spotlight; they create more light. And this does not mean that there is no place for ambition or competition; it simply means that your greatest rival is yesterday’s version of yourself, not the person standing next to you.
The Game of Growth
Play the game where everyone can win. Where improvement, generosity, and humility compound your influence. Where your “victory” inspires, not threatens, others.
In relationships, at work, and in faith, growth is collective, and when one person gets better, the world improves, and when one person finds peace, it spreads.
That is why great minds and great souls never play zero-sum. They know the truth: Life rewards contribution, not comparison.
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Conclusion
In the games of life that truly matter, purpose, growth, meaning, and kindness; there is no final score, no winner’s podium, and no trophy. Because the real goal is not to beat others, but to build others, and in the process, build yourself.
Do NOT play life as if it is a contest of scarcity! Play it as a journey of abundance, where every act of growth, generosity, and integrity expands the field for everyone!
Because in the long run, the only person you need to surpass is who you were yesterday.
