As a gamer, I’ve been known to enjoy gaming content. Lately, my YouTube algorithm has been serving me challenge videos: “hardcore” scenarios where the player starts with virtually nothing and leverages their very disadvantaged position into something impressive.
Starting from $0 and turning it into $1 million in assets (a common challenge run in Big Ambitions); creating a sprawling farm operation starting with an old tractor, a seeder, and a small plot of unplowed land (the typical “survival” scenario for Farming Simulator 25); or building a glitter-tech city starting with a single colonist and access only to neolithic technology and a pair of pants (RimWorld, my beloved).
The concept of turning a bad situation into a decisive victory has always fascinated me. Hell, that’s one of the reasons why I got into this line of work. Helping people get through life’s various tests of financial and mental/emotional fortitude and seeing them thrive on the other side of those obstacles has been very fulfilling.
But the irony of my work is that I’m not immune to life’s challenges. In fact, things have gotten bad enough where I’m pretty much at the “nothing” stage of these “nothing to something” challenges.
When venting to a friend, he asked me what I’d tell myself if I was one of my clients. Later that day, a mentor observed that consulting and coaching are vague, abstract terms. Even if someone understands what they mean, they might not understand my coaching philosophy, how I go about my work, and what sets me apart from others who are great at selling but terrible with delivering results.
As I laid in bed that night, watching yet another challenge video, I realized I could address both of these points and turn my own situation around: use my life not only as a case study of the strategies I use when coaching people, but to live my own “challenge run” and have a bit of fun despite the stressful circumstance I find myself in.
But it’s been a while since I’ve had such a strong call to adventure. This is my invitation to join me at the beginning of this new chapter.
In this post, we’ll explore the following…
An overview of game theory and how I use it for personal and professional strategy.
The problem I’m trying to solve and the goals and strategies I’ll use to solve it.
How to organize those strategies and prioritize the first steps to take.
The importance of just doing without worrying about failure or awkwardness.
EDITOR’S NOTE (3/18/26): This article is a hefty one so if you feel like it’s a lot, it is, even after I pruned it down as best as I can while still making sure it’s coherent and enjoyable to read. I will be writing some supplementary posts to explain some concepts more thoroughly as well as have videos available if you prefer watching content; those will be links scattered throughout the text as I create them. With that in mind, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. The process might seem like a lot but when it comes to building your life the way you want it to be, you deserve to give yourself the time and energy to think deeply and create lasting results rather than consume feel-good pieces that don’t address the underlying problems. You’ll get to where you want to be and I’m here to help and keep you company as you do.
Game Theory and the Source Code of Life
Like any game, the Great Game of Life has its own sets of rules, some of which are unchangeable. These immutable rules (which we’ll call the source code) are at the heart of game theory, the probability mathematics that not only make life interesting, but act as the underlying script running in the back of your head whenever you think about and act on a decision.
The game theory formula is broken into five main parts:
Players: participants within the “state of play” (you and anyone else involved in the decision or are relevant to the outcome).
Outcomes: the ways a situation can play out, whether they’re good, bad, or neutral.
Restrictions: the rules that players must be aware of and may cause penalties when broken (and breaking them may be a strategic move all its own); some of them are universal while others are applied to select players; some are static while others are temporary.
Strategies: the means to get a specific outcome.
Variables: the factors that further define the other four parts (a limited example would be each participant’s skills; the rewards or penalties associated with each outcome; and the energy, resources, and time dedicated to each strategy as well as your willingness to choose a strategy).
Game theory applies to every decision you’ll encounter in the Great Game, from what you have for breakfast (or if you decide to even have breakfast that day) to becoming a millionaire before a certain deadline. And like all math, game theory is indifferent to who you are or what resources you have.
Yes, everyone has their own advantages and disadvantages, but using game theory allows you to identify these factors and develop strategies to leverage them as best as you can. If you’ve seen people that seem lucky, there’s a good chance they’re channeling game theory, whether they’re conscious of it or not.
This source code also flies in the face of the orthodoxy established by “wellness gurus” and “coaching influencers” who focus on the perception of growth rather than actually fixing problems and building yourself up.
The reason why I wanted to showcase my struggles is that I don’t want to talk to you in hindsight about what I did in my specific circumstance. I want to show you a flexible system that can be applied to solving any problem in real time, with all the mess, frustration, catharsis, growth, and triumph that comes with it.
With my current financial and professional situation, my life right now happens to be a great case study to show how it all works (not to mention it’s a testament of my faith in my knowledge of game theory to see me through this and for you to watch it happen).
To that point, what does the “nothing” part of this “nothing to something” challenge look like?
I’m effectively broke.
I barely make ends meet and have maxed out my credit. Not because I’m spending money frivolously, but that I’ve struggled to survive living on my own as a self-employed freelancer who works from home with unmedicated ADHD in one of the least affordable towns in the United States (#4 overall, though #1 among small cities under 250k people).
And while I’m grateful for my current clients, my business model still needs some tweaking to provide me consistent stability while still generating value to the people I serve. Even when you’re paid fairly for what you do and are glad to work with the people you do (as I am), sometimes the problem lies with scaling, process, and better understanding not just what people need, but how and when they need it.
Put another way, if your life (or business or career) were a vehicle, if the vehicle’s broken down, it doesn’t matter how hard you push it. In fact, ignoring the problem and pushing it further will just cause it to break more.
And if you’re using the wrong vehicle entirely, it doesn’t matter if it’s broken or not. A Ford Mustang’s a pretty cool car, but it’s not gonna help you get across the waters of Lake Michigan. At least on its own… but now that thought exercise is getting into game theory.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of that, remember this: game theory is an important tool because it forces you to acknowledge your situation for what it is and to be honest about why you’re struggling. This is especially useful if you have a habit of tuning out and avoiding problems until they’re too big to ignore (and breaking that habit).
Still, it’s that first honest step, that admission of pain and discomfort in your current situation, that will allow you to make the changes you need to get to a place that better suits you.
Starting with the End First: Choose the Outcome, Identify the Restrictions, then Build the Strategy
Now that you know the basics of game theory, the rest of this article will be a crash course on how I use it when coaching my clients. Today, I’m the client.
First, I’ll give these challenges a catchy name. Something to get me hyped up, something to fight against and win. Because of my ADHD, I’ve found that a little bit of whimsy goes a long way when trying to stay engaged. Since I play a ton of war games, yearslong arcs get cool names; my current one that I started back in 2024 is called Operation Landfall (though that’s a topic for another day).
In the spirit of the “nothing to something” challenge we’re going for, we’ll call this one the “0 to >1 Beds” challenge. As much as I love my studio, it’d be nice to have a space where my bed has its own room. Plus, the name is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. A SMART goal, if you will.
Granted, that’s not the main goal. What I really want is financial stability that affords me the time and energy to build my business with the income to live somewhere with extra amenities like an additional wall and door. Still, that goal is qualitative (based on vibes) rather than quantitative (based on something that can be easily measured) so finding steps that are measurable is important.
Once the big-picture theme is established, we break it into no more than four smaller (though still sizeable) goals. Usually I try to scale those goals within a 12-month “where do you want to be at a year from now?” window.
If you come up with more than four goals, choose your top four. Ideally, these four are ones that, once completed, help build momentum that makes achieving the other goals easier and faster while eliminating noise.
For me, those four goals are:
Eliminate my outstanding debt and establish a safety net. Right now, my credit utilization is hovering 95-98%, I’d like to bring it down to 80% and then keep going in 10% chunks. Similarly, I’d like to first save up one month’s worth of expenses, then moving to three, then six. This will be done by increasing income, reducing expenses, and dialing in spending habits as best I can.
Buy a house/condo/duplex/townhome OR find a new place to live in general. The goal is to have at least one bedroom while living on my own. While my studio is fine, it’d be nice to have a place I can build equity (which is especially challenging given the overall affordability crisis we’re all feeling).
Become more creative and calm, focusing first on creating something for myself to then share with others. This goal directly addresses people-pleasing habits I still wrestle with. The imbalance I’ve found in my work comes from misaligned energy. Because of the nature of my work, people aren’t always keen on telling others they’ve been helped which stifles referrals. Instead, I must be someone people want to brag about knowing or have been helped by. To do this, I must create a lot more, be more visible, and to be steady and calm while going about it. Right now, I’d like to make a habit of at least five pieces of content a week, moving up to 10-14 when I’m able. All while building something and letting people ask for help or participation on their own rather than me preemptively offering.
Develop better cooking, meal prep, and nutrition habits. It’s not that I eat garbage. I just don’t eat because of the ADHD executive dysfunction and sometimes my financial situation forces me to go without. Still, getting into the habit of preparing meals ahead of time when I do have the dopamine so I can just reheat it when I don’t will save money and keep me fed. I’ll consider this goal complete once I have a solid two consecutive months of not eating out at all unless for a special occasion (like a friend’s birthday) or work function (like meeting a client).
These four goals act as the main framework to build strategies in service of the ideal outcome (in this case, financial stability in an upgraded space). Next is to identify the restrictions. For me, it’s a list of 5-8 non-negotiables.
Where many coaches want you to just focus on completing the goals based on whatever rigid system they provide, this goals-augmented-by-non-negotiables framework is built around you. While trying to achieve these goals is difficult enough, the non-negotiables are useful guard rails that make your journey easier and more enjoyable, allowing you to focus and address your obstacles more holistically.
As an example, here are mine for this challenge:
I’m not required or expected to work at a specific place at a specific time with the exception of meetings. My brain (perhaps like many others) is strange where I can do things when they’re my idea, but will resist the same thing with every fiber of my being as soon as it becomes expectation. For instance, I can wake up early if I want to. But if I have to wake up early to travel or because a job demands it of me, I won’t be able to sleep at all which feeds into my already severe insomnia. This gives my ADHD brain plenty of room without making it feel trapped.
I refuse to people please anymore. That isn’t to say I won’t help people. I will. But I’ll only do it if asked rather than anticipating the needs of others all the time. Even with the best intentions, it’s no way for anyone to live.
I have to be able to create things and follow my various muses. Whether that’s video editing, writing, painting, or photography, allowing myself to create and be curious allows me do my job better. This is because my job requires innovation and seeing things from different angles. Without creativity, I’m just some guy that regurgitates a script (with the rise of ChatGPT, “consultants” just passing back AI-generated outputs with no nuance has become all too common in my field).
I must create at least five pieces of media each week. It doesn’t have to be content for work (I’ve been enjoying watercolor for fun on nights I can’t sleep), but I get depressed when I can’t create things. The whole “take a day to just do nothing” advice doesn’t work for me so I’m not going to force it.
I will not eat in areas designated specifically for work. You won’t see me eating at my desk. Plus, my 12pm - 1pm lunch hour is sacrosanct and only in the most dire of emergencies will I put that off (mostly because this might be the only meal I get that day).
I will work out at least 3-5 times a week in any way I choose. Whether it’s a long, brisk walk, yoga, or strongman training (I do like to lift and throw heavy things), moving is the goal. I might develop a more specific regimen but for now, I’ll let my body tell me what it needs. Lately, it’s yoga.
I will express gratitude or appreciation to at least one person a day. The world can be a dreary place. I intend to not only remind others that they’re thought of and valued, but to remind myself that I have good people in my life when it’s hard to remember.
The point of these non-negotiables is to keep you focused and develop habits that help do some of the heavy lifting. You’ll notice that each of these non-negotiables can be tied to at least one goal. There’s a reason for that but we’ll revisit that in another article
Creating the Roadmap: When and How to Move Forward
Once you have a list of goals and non-negotiables, there are a few more questions to answer:
How do you choose what goal to work on first?
How do you create your first strategies based on those goals?
How do you decide which strategy to use first?
Using the four goals above as an example, the most important one is sorting out financial stability. Without it, I won’t be able to achieve the second goal. Conversely, the third and fourth goals, while important, will make going after the first goal easier.
So, if we were to prioritize them, Goal 1 is the most important and supplemented by Goals 3 and 4. Once those are achieved, we can more easily move towards Goal 2.
Now, you could focus on Goal 2 first, but it’d only make sense to do so by finding a cheaper and better place to live while already having enough money to make it happen. However as it stands, that’s out of scope with the local housing market. I could find roommates in the meantime, but that’d be a lateral move that might end up wasting time and resources with few exceptions.
With that in mind, if we’re going after Goal 1 first with Goals 3 and 4 sprinkled in, some strategies might look like this:
Start buying in bulk and setting aside time to meal prep in advance, ideally using the freezer to maximize shelf-life and ease of use with my stove, oven, and air fryer. This will keep me from wasting money and food, lowering expenses while making sure I eat more regularly.
Stop ordering takeout and eating out. Food money would only be spent on groceries which, when prepped and used, are healthier and cheaper.
Create more content to increase visibility and authority as someone who knows what they’re talking about. This can potentially convert viewers to new clients as well as act on the “be someone worth mentioning as a brag” observation. New clients means more income.
Experiment with better ways to serve my current clients. This would increase value for them and create opportunities to work more billable project hours. I might also come up with new services I can offer that better fit their needs at a price point that works for them and keeps me from being in the red.
Experiment with new ways of outreach. I need to be more active on social media. I also want to try physical mailers where it makes sense to in addition to developing my YouTube channel, this blog, and Start 2 Continue’s Discord community. More visibility means more potential clients.
To turn these strategic ideas into actions, I’ll organize them into a plan that looks like this:
Start posting weekly blog posts, starting with the 0 to >1 Bedroom Challenge introduction.
Repurpose old articles, prioritizing the most relevant ones to help build SEO and GEO to further increase visibility.
Create at least two shorts and one 3+ minute video based on the written content of this challenge and relevant articles to explain the game theory/Great Game of Life concepts to a larger audience that prefers video format.
Choose 2-3 recipes to meal prep what I currently have on hand. I just got a package of 3ish pounds of chicken thighs which can be turned into tons of stuff, along with some veggies, rice, beans, tortillas, bread, potatoes, etc.
Make use of the Souper Cubes I got for Christmas to try out frozen meals for meal prep and reheating.
Go through the prospecting lists of commercial clients and identify opportunities for content and outreach.
Figure out an A/B test for mailing campaign, what that’ll cost, and which segments to start with first.
Test a retainer arrangement with current clients to establish better monthly recurring revenue (MRR) rather than having low MRR with variable ad hoc projects. This will streamline billing and project management, making it easier for the client while giving me autonomy to handle things on their behalf to minimize their stress.
Test a pay-what-you-want resume writing service for people who need help finding new work. The catch-22 with my work is that I love helping people make money, but those who need the most help with that (and who I want to help most) are those who need money and might not be able to afford the help. Still, this would be a small test that could make a big difference for a lot of people or give generous others a means to pay it forward to those who need help.
When making your own list of strategies, you might find these actions might have a “do this, then that” progression. However, it’s fine to handle multiple things at once when some actions take a while to bear fruit. Still, find a starting point and work from there.
Perfect is the Enemy of Good
I know we covered a lot of ground. Getting through all these details while learning something like game theory (let alone how to apply it in your own life) can be overwhelming. But if you’re already getting nervous, there’s one piece of advice that I want to share with you that bears repeating:
Perfect is the enemy of good.
It’s better to try and flounder with all the awkwardness of missteps and reckoning with strategies that didn’t pan out than to not try at all. To get better, you need to first do something.
This article is one example: you get to see the edited, cleaned up version, not the messy, rambly first draft it started out as. Zooming out further, this article is the result of 15ish years of professional writing experience and 12ish years of freelancing and building my own business.
I might not be in an ideal spot, but despite any hardship, I’m still kicking, building, and working on something. Even after all that time, I’m still learning and I’m allowed to stumble, especially when I’m trying something new. It’s the not-giving-up that gets you to the finish line. This is true for everyone and is proven time and time again in every success story you’ll find.
Game theory tells us that the ideal outcome either happens or it doesn’t. Just because it doesn’t happen now, doesn’t mean it can’t happen later. You might even get an outcome you didn’t expect that you prefer.
Either way, you’ll either win now or later; the only way to fail is to give up entirely. While luck and chance will always be a part of the Great Game, there are always plenty of strategies and factors you can use to your advantage, even if you’re starting from virtually nothing.
The main thing is that you act, be consistent in your action, and give yourself grace and permission to stumble, get up, and try again in a different way.
If you know you couldn’t fail, what would you try to accomplish? How willing are you to set your ego aside if it meant you’d get the success you’ve wanted (perhaps not exactly as you envisioned it, but definitely something you’d be proud of)?
You got this.
After all, life’s a game. Play it well.
Game in thumbnail: Vintage Story (Anego Studios)