A problem, in this context, is defined as an unfulfilled desire — there is something out there that you want and currently do not have. Solving problems means fulfilling that desire and getting what you want.

Most ambitious people never accomplish their dreams because they don’t understand the rules of the game or how it works. Worse, more never come to realize they’re playing the wrong game to begin with.

The main set of problems people set out to solve (i.e. the games they choose to play) are:

1. Goal attainment (fulfilling desires/solving problems, accomplishing goals): this is the “game”

2. Fulfillment (feeling good about ourselves as a result of actuating potential): this is the real game

3. Connection (serving others, contributing to the group, feeling connected beyond ourselves): this is an extension of the game

Let’s break each of these down further.

The “game”

Here’s how the goal attainment “game” works:

1. you start with time and energy as raw materials

2. time and energy is expended through behaviors (actions you take; things you do or don’t do), which provide information through feedback

3. resilient information (knowledge) is used to solve problems, which is valuable

4. value generated from the labor of solving problems is primarily captured and exchanged through social capital and financial capital

5. capital is reinvested into other forms of leverage to maximize time and energy so you can do more (solve more/bigger problems) with less

6. you repeat the process above until you run out of time or realize there’s more to the game

The above process serves as the foundation for everything that revolves around our productive lives: health, psychology, education, media, work, business, economics, technology and more. Understanding this process and how to navigate/play it well is crucial and affords you the opportunity to spend your time how you’d like (important).

However, this is not the full picture. Playing the “game” for the sake of attainment alone is a non-starter.

This is because humans are wired to endlessly desire (i.e. have problems) and seek to fulfill those desires (i.e. solve them). The irony is you could attain/accomplish everything you’ve ever wanted, and there would still be another thing to chase. This is what makes this particular game “infinite”.

Sometimes, people also play this particular “game” for the wrong reasons:

https://twitter.com/naval/status/1267179384886095873

The game, in its entirety, is extraordinarily difficult to navigate, let alone succeed in. Fortunately, the only thing preventing you from winning is a set of skills that can be learned. In future posts, I’ll cover what this looks like for the real game, and how innovations like crypto allow us to change the rules (and what you can do about it).

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