Defining Your Game: The
Key to Success and Fulfillment
The late-afternoon sun filtered through the glass door of S & Co as Rahul, a 35-year-old self-employed professional, took a seat across the table from CA Srini. After a few minutes of small talk, he leaned forward.
“Srini sir, I’ve been
doing reasonably well… but I still feel stuck. I earn, I invest here and there,
I buy what people say I should buy, but somehow I’m not getting where I want to
go. I don’t even know if I’m doing the right things anymore.”
Srini smiled gently. “I
hear this more often than you might think, Rahul. And to be honest, this isn’t
only about investments or savings, it starts much deeper. Let me ask you
something… whose game are you playing?”
Rahul looked confused.
“Game? What game?”
“The game of life and
money,” Srini replied. “Everyone has a game. But most people unknowingly play
someone else’s. They take decisions based on noise, what friends say, what
social media glorifies, what peers are buying, what influencers promise. In the
process, they lose sight of what they truly want.”
Rahul nodded slowly.
“Defining your game,”
Srini continued, “means getting clear about what money means to you. For
some, it’s security. For others, freedom from a 9-to-5. For others, legacy for
children. Until you know your purpose, your finances will feel directionless.”
“Okay… so suppose my
purpose is freedom,” Rahul said. “Then?”
“Then you define the
milestones that support that freedom. Early retirement? Time for travel? A
buffer fund so you can say no to stressful work? Once these goals are clear,
you establish your rules, your investing comfort zone, the debt you won’t
take, the distractions you will ignore.”
He paused and added, “When
your game is defined, you stop reacting. You evaluate everything - opportunities, risks, purchases - through the lens of your purpose. Even
setbacks don’t shake you easily because you know why you’re on this path.”
Rahul took a deep breath.
“And if I’ve been following what others are doing instead of what I want…”
“That’s where frustration
comes from,” Srini said softly. “People buy what others buy, invest where
others invest, and chase lifestyles that don’t even match their values. That’s
how burnout, stress, and dissatisfaction creep in, not because they’re not
working hard, but because they’re working toward someone else’s finish line.”
There was silence for a
few seconds before Rahul spoke. “So what should I do now?”
“Start defining your
game,” Srini replied. “It will evolve as you evolve, and that’s okay. What
matters is that you stop living by borrowed goals and start designing a life
that is yours.”
Rahul leaned back in his
chair, thoughtful, a little shaken, and perhaps relieved.
Srini didn’t rush to fill
the silence. He simply smiled and asked, “Think about it calmly… up to this
point in your journey, have you really been playing your game or just
participating in someone else’s?”
The question lingered in
the room, and Rahul knew only he could answer it.
No comments:
Post a Comment