Is Your Skin In The Game?

There are two ways to go into business. One involves going in timidly, the other is all-in. Where do you fall? There is no spectrum, it’s black or white, all or nothing. Playing in your own skin allows you to become one with your cause and tap into a newfound resourcefulness you never knew you had. Imagine two generals: one commands his troops from afar, behind the battle lines, and the other is on the front lines, risking his life in every battle. How do you think the troops will react? It’s night and day. People are willing to die for a leader who is playing for his life like they are, but they will not hesitate to run away if they feel you are not fully involved and events are not going as planned.

You Have To Learn To Risk Your Neck

Risking your neck can be learned, but first you have to unlearn what you have been taught. Education pushes us to limit our risks and to be calculating, that is to say the opposite of what it implies to play one’s skin. Playing for your skin means facing fear, getting into the habit of acting with panache and losing everything. This is not easy to develop, but only practice makes this psychological state possible.

Not Everyone Is Cut Out To Play For Their Own Skin

Just as not everyone can be a general, not everyone can aspire to play his or her skin off at every moment. It’s a matter of life choices. It is by risking a lot that you can win a lot, but you can also lose a lot.

The Value Of Playing For Your Life

In a more individual sense, playing it safe leaves you no choice but to succeed. If your job is to give people advice but your mistakes don’t impact you, then you’re not playing yourself. Many professions do not involve serious consequences on those who advise or make decisions (financial advisor, politician etc.) and this is also why clients and citizens are so unhappy. When you risk your skin, you think differently.

Seeing What Cannot Be Seen

What distinguishes two individuals, in a fundamental way, is the way their brain has been wired. Creating neural connections takes time and effort. By effort, I mean repetition. To speed up the process you need to intensify the effort. The best way to do this is to play your skin. By playing your skin, you are putting 100% of your cognitive capital to work for your cause which is directly related to your survival. By accelerating the process, you can reach levels that no one will ever reach because a lifetime will not be enough to compensate for the lack of intensity in their efforts.

Collateral Effects Of Playing With Your Skin

When you play your skin off you can reap the following benefits:
– Achieve a high level of deliberate practice
– Develop a sixth sense
– Understand people better
– Achieve a form of purity and intensity
– Become more humble
– Think differently than 98% of people

There Is Nothing Wrong With Not Wanting To Play Your Skin

There is nothing that should compel you to seek to play your own game at all costs. You simply have to give up the potential gains that come with playing for your skin. Because therein lies the problem, people want the accolades and wealth without paying the price.
Here are the kinds of rewards you’ll have to give up if you don’t want to gamble your hide away:
– Enjoying great prestige and respect from people
– Earning a lot of money
– Being put in the spotlight
– Receive unwavering trust from people