November 2, 2025
We’re all playing games, whether we admit it or not. Some of them are obvious, the work game, the money game, the parenting game. Others sneak up on you. You think you’re just posting vacation photos, and suddenly you’re competing in the “whose life looks most effortless” game.
Here’s the thing: most of us didn’t choose the games we’re playing. We just sort of… woke up in them.
I spent years playing the “be productive or you’re worthless” game without even realizing I’d joined. The rules were simple: if I was busy, I was valuable. If I stopped to rest, I was falling behind. No one asked if I wanted to play, I just found myself keeping score with everyone else.
But somewhere along the way, I started asking, “Wait. Do I even want this trophy?”
The Sneaky Games We All Play
You might not think you’re competitive, but you’re probably keeping score somewhere. Maybe you’re quietly comparing your career, your kids, your fitness, your home, your follower count.
Maybe you’re playing the “Don’t Look Like You’re Trying Too Hard” game, which is basically emotional gymnastics. Or the “I’ll Be Happy When” game, which has no finish line.
The trickiest games are the ones that look like responsibility, the jobs, routines, and roles that start as choices and turn into invisible expectations. You don’t even notice you’re playing until you’re exhausted and can’t remember why you cared so much in the first place.
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is drop the controller.
Choosing Your Own Rules
The beautiful thing about this question is that it isn’t just self-reflective, it’s freeing. You get to decide whether to keep playing or change the game entirely.
When you start to recognize the invisible rulebooks in your life, the ones written by culture, family, or that one teacher who told you you’d “never make it”, you also realize you can rewrite them.
Play a different game. One that actually makes sense to you.
And if you’re not sure where to start, try doing something that has no scoreboard attached, a walk, a sketch, a sentence, a meal. You’ll be amazed how much peace there is in unranked moments.
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💬 Your Turn
So… what game are you playing that you never consciously chose to enter?
Share your answer in the comments or on social — your weird little truth might be someone else’s comfort zone.