There are unlimited ways to play, have fun and earn money, do you want it?

Photo: Business daily

In the book Finite and Infinite Games , author James P. Carse summarizes a rule of life. That is, our pursuits are ultimately games.

Most of them are finite games: Play until you reach your goal, then stop playing.

If you are playing finite, then you can try very hard, but only until you reach your goal do you get bored of playing.

If you're playing infinitely, playing is the main thing. You don't care about the outcome. You play because you enjoy the game itself.

If you look at yourself and at others, you can easily see that most people are playing finitely, so their effort is also finite, and their joy is also finite. If we want infinite joy, we must play infinitely.

"Infinite Play" in Love

I will give you an example of a basic "game" which is love. "Finite play" in love is to pursue and conquer her to get her consent.

You are excited to court because you expect to win.

But when you win her over, you stop trying. You turn your efforts to other areas, because what you want is her nod, not to be with her, to love her. So when she nods, you stop trying.

But if you don't put in the extra effort once you have her, you're not nurturing the love. It won't grow, it will wither away.

When you "play infinitely" in love, you want to be with someone, want to care for and love that person for a long time. You don't just conquer that person at first so that he or she loves you back, but you still love and care for that person when you have him or her.

When you love infinitely like that, you enjoy infinite joy and happiness. Because for you, being loved by that person is happiness.

"Infinite Play" at Work

Unlimited play at work, you never get bored - Photo: Business daily

There are also "finite and infinite games" in work. Accordingly, if a person considers work as a "finite game", he or she can try his or her best without signing a contract.

But once the contract is in place, it's like "game over." He doesn't want to try anymore.

Meanwhile, a person who works with the "infinite play" mentality loves the work he does. Whether he has signed a contract or not, he still works with the same love. Because what makes him happy is doing the work, the work itself, not the contract.

Limited players in work find work boring.

If a person sees work as a “finite game,” he or she tends to choose jobs that earn a lot of money. On the surface, it may seem like the person is working hard. In fact, it is not because they love the work itself, but because they want to earn a lot of money from the work.

Whatever job doesn't make money right away, they move on, or just do it haphazardly to get it done.

Their moods fluctuate with their salaries. At the end of a day's work, they are exhausted.

They use their hard-earned money to relieve stress (eating, shopping, entertainment...) in the hope of finding temporary joy as compensation.

Working with them is no fun, just tiring, even though they earn a lot of money. They always want to avoid work, even though work is what they need to earn money.

Infinite Player at Work: Just Being Done Is a Reward

A person who sees work as an "infinite game" also works enthusiastically, but because he enjoys the work itself. He does not work for the salary, although everyone needs money and wants to have a lot of it.

For them, doing what they love is a reward, an infinite joy. They consider difficulties at work as inevitable and find ways to overcome them, just like they have to overcome obstacles and differences to reach the person they love.

They grow and improve themselves while working.

They work long hours but don't seem tired, because they have fun while they work.

They work as if they were playing. They also don't have to spend money to relieve stress after work, because they have fun while working even though they are physically tired.

And here's the magic: People who "play infinitely" at work also make a lot of money. Directly or indirectly, the money comes as a natural consequence of their love for their work.

People who consider work as an "infinite game" also look very peaceful even though they work many hours every day, they always seem to exude joy, love of life and transmit positive energy to everyone.

Limited play or infinite play? We can choose at any time. And we will have limited or infinite fun depending on that choice.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-cach-choi-vo-han-vua-vui-vua-kiem-tien-ban-co-muon-khong-20240413062811542.htm