EP 10: How to Get Your Head in the Game

Today, we are talking about how to get your head in the game. Maybe you’re thinking, “What game, Morgan?” And I’m talking about the long game: how to set yourself up for your future self!

A lot of us are on a path to want to invest in ourselves in order to better ourselves. I mean, hey, you’re listening to a personal development podcast! And what that leads to is altering your current state in order to help improve your future self. That’s what personal development is.

Self-Development is Not Always Pretty

But the reality is, this isn’t very pretty sometimes. It’s not this big and beautiful thing that’s really captivating. Playing the long game looks more like sacrificing now to get to where you want to be. It can look pretty dang effortless, but it’s really not.

So, today we’re chatting all about the game of life. Specifically, how you can play the long game in your life; how you can be someone that is in it for the long haul, and make strategic, intentional decisions with the future you in mind.

“But I Want to Live in the Present”

Now, let’s back up a second because what happens when we talk about the long game is that the immediate pushback in your mind can be: I want to live in the present. And let me tell you, that is what I am hoping the long game does for you!

The Long Game

We often mistake being game-oriented with living for the future, not for the now. And that can be easy to do, which we will talk about, BUT what does it look like to be long-term focused? And honestly…why is it even important? It’s important because, to me, people who play the long game have four main things:

• Clarity in who they are 
• Understanding of how they are going to become that person
• Security for a future self
• Confidence in their self now

People who play the long game are the people you think, “How did they get there?”

We see other people’s success and assume it’s luck or given to them, not strategic decisions that have compounded over time. 

Consistent Short-Term Wins Add Up to Long-Term Games

The long game really is the short term wins someone consistently has over time. The only true path to growth is consistency. Therefore, you have to be willing to have consistent short term wins before you can expect a long-term outcome. 

Examples:

• Running once doesn’t make you a runner. Running consistently gets you in shape to run half marathons.
• Saving once every few months does very little. Consistently saving and having a saving win every week leads to you becoming financially stable, a long term outcome.
• Getting an A on one exam doesn’t make you pass the class.

Example of My Long-Term Goals

• Financially, I save with the knowledge that I want to be comfortable in life. Meaning, I don’t live above my means.
• Relationships: I started dating my husband and while we definitely talked about the future, we knew we had a lot of short-term wins that had to happen before we got to a place of marriage: financially, long-distance, career, experiences, etc.
• My job: in the beginning, I took jobs to see what I wanted to do.
• Creatively, I was and remain preventative of burnout to make sure I am creative long-term.

The long game means you are getting short term wins and compounding them over time. Adjusting, fixing, and powering through even when you aren’t sure how it might play into the long game. 

Short-Term Wins Aren’t Sexy

Small wins are the goal but we discount them because the results aren’t immediate. We want confetti cannons and praise for everything we do. Don’t lie, I do it too. BUT short-term wins isn’t sexy. Let me tell you about money.

Studying isn’t sexy. Saying no to friends or opportunities to save money in college isn’t fun. Driving an old car that broke down way too often isn’t sexy.  

You have to choose your yes. To me, my yes is to freedom over my schedule. Does that mean I miss a lot of things that happen on weekends? Yes, but the trade-off is worth the long term gain. My husband and I share a car

Ways to Play the Long Game

-Compound right decisions lead to future happiness
-Commit to committing 
-Purpose-driven decisions
-Embrace your experiential knowledge: to me, this is the key to staying present in the short term. Remember that your experiences are playing in your long term. The opportunities you take. 

Mistakes With the Long Game:

-Being hyper-focused and missing the present
-Tunnel vision in regards to time and saying no to opportunities because they aren’t “perfect” (talk about being in a creative rut)
-Expecting long term results in a short term time period

More

To listen to the rest of today’s episode on how to get your head in the game, click HERE! To check out last week’s episode, click HERE!

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