The Zero-Sum Game Is a Lie
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Somewhere along the way, we started believing life is a zero-sum game.
If someone else wins, you lose.
If the economy changes, you’re out.
If AI takes jobs, there’s nothing left.
If you don’t become a household name… why even try?
A zero-sum game is when the total amount of success is fixed. One person’s gain is another’s loss. Poker. Musical chairs. The last slice of cake at a dinner party.
But most of real life isn’t like that.
And that’s especially true on Main Street.
The Fear That Keeps Us Stuck
If you listen to the headlines long enough, it can feel like the future is already decided. Jobs disappearing. The middle hollowing out. Everything becoming all-or-nothing.
We’ve created this strange expectation that if you start something, it has to become enormous. If you open a store, it should become a chain. If you launch a brand, it should go viral. If you build a product, it should disrupt an industry.
Otherwise… why bother?
But this ignores something simple:
You do not need the whole pie.
You don’t even need 1%.
You need a small, sustainable, loyal slice.
The U.S. economy is over $25 trillion a year. Even a tiny fraction of that can support a thriving business. You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be meaningful somewhere.
The Numbers Tell a Different Story
Let’s talk about the quiet math of upward mobility.
On average, Americans with a bachelor’s degree earn significantly more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma. Median weekly earnings for college graduates are roughly 60% higher than for high school graduates, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That doesn’t mean college is the only path.
It means investing in your future—through education, skills, or ownership—changes your trajectory.
The real driver isn’t the degree.
It’s the decision to start.
The same pattern shows up in housing.
Mortgage rates today are much higher than they were just a few years ago. But home values have also risen in many markets. That means homeowners who bought earlier have built equity simply by participating. Waiting didn’t make housing easier. In many cases, it made entry more expensive.
This is the opposite of zero-sum.
The game expands over time.
But mostly for people who are in it.
Another reality check:
Many financial planners estimate individuals need $1–1.5 million or more to retire comfortably, depending on lifestyle and inflation.
Yet the average American retires with far less.
Not because people don’t care.
But because time passed anyway.
Whether you invest or not.
Whether you buy a house or not.
Whether you build something or not.
Life keeps moving.
The biggest risk isn’t choosing the wrong path.
It’s choosing none.
The Only True Losing Move
The biggest lie of the zero-sum mindset is that not playing is safer.
But standing still is also a decision. And it carries its own risks.
The economy will change whether you participate or not.
Housing prices will move whether you buy or not.
Time will pass whether you build something or not.
So you might as well make smart bets.
Start small.
Start imperfectly.
Start locally.
Start before you feel ready.
Because chances are, you’ll end up further ahead than you think.
And in a world that feels increasingly all-or-nothing, that’s very good news.