Stop Playing Other People's Game

Earners,

You Have to Play Your Own Game

I think a lot of us have this notion that we’re doing what we want—that we have free will, we’re pursuing the career we want, and we’re working toward some sort of plan. Even if that doesn’t feel like the case now, we assume that eventually, we’ll arrive at that situation.

But I don’t think most of us ever stop to ask:

What game am I playing?

What variables am I optimizing for?

What do I want to pursue, and what happens if I succeed?

Are those things important to me, or are they important to the people around me?

Be Intentional

I have a pretty unconventional career. Most of my income comes from sitting in front of a camera, making videos about finance and business, and partnering with companies because I’ve built a bit of an audience. This career didn’t really exist 20 years ago. Even 10 years ago, it was rare.

I quit my job over three years ago to pursue this. Early on, I realized I had a passion for helping people get out of bad situations by leveraging the power of money. That’s what I do to this day, especially when I talk about careers.

The Pushback

My career as a creator, especially at the start, was scrutinized by some people around me. Don’t get me wrong—I had a lot of support. Probably more than most people who do what I do. But there were definitely people who doubted my choice.

I had a great job making $80K a year, with a clear path to $100K at a Fortune 500 company. The corporate path ahead of me was, honestly, pretty appealing. I’m not going to sit here and pretend otherwise.

But I had this deep desire to pursue something more fulfilling. I wanted to take a creative risk in my 20s, and I genuinely believed I could make more money this way too. That was the game I wanted to play.

So, I stopped thinking about what other people’s games looked like.

Staying in the Pocket

It wasn’t easy. I’ve seen people in my space switch to other games when pressure hit—whether during downturns or challenges. But I knew that for me to succeed, I had to stay in the pocket.

In football, the quarterback has to stay calm under pressure, even as the defense closes in. They can’t panic or scramble—they need to hold their ground and make the right move at the right time.

That’s how I’ve approached my career.

I’ve watched people bail too quickly when things got tough. They scrambled or froze under pressure. Staying in the pocket doesn’t mean I’m never influenced by those pressures, but I’ve made a deliberate effort to hold my ground and play my game.

Choosing the Right Game

As I’ve gone through my career, I’ve realized I don’t want to play the “get super rich as fast as possible” game. If that were my goal, I probably would’ve started some business or scaled an agency two years ago.

Instead, I’m building something that excites me. If and when I decide to change my game, I’ll do it on my terms—not because of external pressure.

Figure Out Your Game

A lot of you reading this don’t want to be creators. Your game will look different from mine. But you need to ask yourself:

What is my game?

What am I optimizing for?

Am I playing for myself—or for the people around me?

When you start playing for yourself, everything changes. Stay in your pocket. Play your game.

Earn more,

Nate