We all know these people, those slick, smooth manipulators who seem to get away with murder, do as little as humanly possible and end up living the life of Riley. For a number of reasons our society is set up in such a way that it is very difficult for them to lose. It is as if life was a huge Game and they were the master players. What is the average person to do when confronted with such practiced charlatans?
The task of beating the Players at their own Game seems at first impossibly daunting. They know the rules inside out, have risen to positions of great power and authority, and are far more experienced than we are. How can someone like you or I hope to prevail in a showdown against them?
We need to find a strategy that allows us to play the game from a weaker position. The Players' strategies are premised upon having the higher ground, having the advantage of leverage. This is at once the strength and weakness of the status quo. On a day-to-day basis it affords them the luxury of being able to win consistently with relatively little risk or effort.
Now dependant upon always acting from a position of strength, most Players are left floundering when that much-needed stability falls away. They have nowhere to run except to their habit for blustering their way out of trouble, a strategy which can only lead them into a worse predicament. By contrast we, as outsiders, lack the initial advantage of the Players, but we are blessed with intelligence and creativity, and it is upon these that we must rely for our ultimate success.
Fortunately, Players are particularly susceptible to being played. The great majority of Players are nothing more than one-trick ponies. The Players never expect the sheep to use their own tactics against them. The reason for this is twofold.
First, the average Player views the rest of us as fools, incapable of thinking tactically. Second, they see themselves as gifted with a shrewdness which the rest of us simply do not have.
On the surface, we seduce the Player, lulling them into a false sense of security while we go about their undoing. To do this, we must first develop ways of identifying them. Next, we must learn to understand their nuances, so that we may differentiate between various types of Players and thereby better attune our movements to theirs. Next, we observe their movements to discern the underlying pattern hidden beneath. Players are always 'on their game'. That is to say, they never let up in pursuing their hidden agenda.
Because a Player thinks of himself as supreme he takes no notice of his own mistakes, believing himself incapable of making any. In addition, his unwillingness to take an interest in anything which will not benefit him materially makes him remarkably shallow. If problems do arise he will have no way of thinking creatively in order to address them, and will therefore be reduced to a state of panic, and so the downward spiral begins.
It is also important to observe that Players will only take action if their success is assured - they are, essentially, lacking in courage. By forcing them into a corner we can undermine them completely. So weak is the Player cut off from his advantage in The Game that his cowardice will shine through and he will be destroyed.
The task of beating the Players at their own Game seems at first impossibly daunting. They know the rules inside out, have risen to positions of great power and authority, and are far more experienced than we are. How can someone like you or I hope to prevail in a showdown against them?
We need to find a strategy that allows us to play the game from a weaker position. The Players' strategies are premised upon having the higher ground, having the advantage of leverage. This is at once the strength and weakness of the status quo. On a day-to-day basis it affords them the luxury of being able to win consistently with relatively little risk or effort.
Now dependant upon always acting from a position of strength, most Players are left floundering when that much-needed stability falls away. They have nowhere to run except to their habit for blustering their way out of trouble, a strategy which can only lead them into a worse predicament. By contrast we, as outsiders, lack the initial advantage of the Players, but we are blessed with intelligence and creativity, and it is upon these that we must rely for our ultimate success.
Fortunately, Players are particularly susceptible to being played. The great majority of Players are nothing more than one-trick ponies. The Players never expect the sheep to use their own tactics against them. The reason for this is twofold.
First, the average Player views the rest of us as fools, incapable of thinking tactically. Second, they see themselves as gifted with a shrewdness which the rest of us simply do not have.
On the surface, we seduce the Player, lulling them into a false sense of security while we go about their undoing. To do this, we must first develop ways of identifying them. Next, we must learn to understand their nuances, so that we may differentiate between various types of Players and thereby better attune our movements to theirs. Next, we observe their movements to discern the underlying pattern hidden beneath. Players are always 'on their game'. That is to say, they never let up in pursuing their hidden agenda.
Because a Player thinks of himself as supreme he takes no notice of his own mistakes, believing himself incapable of making any. In addition, his unwillingness to take an interest in anything which will not benefit him materially makes him remarkably shallow. If problems do arise he will have no way of thinking creatively in order to address them, and will therefore be reduced to a state of panic, and so the downward spiral begins.
It is also important to observe that Players will only take action if their success is assured - they are, essentially, lacking in courage. By forcing them into a corner we can undermine them completely. So weak is the Player cut off from his advantage in The Game that his cowardice will shine through and he will be destroyed.
About the Author:
John Berling Hardy is dedicated to giving those who are committed to winning tools to make it happen. For more of his writings please visit www.playingtheplayers.com
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