Hey, it’s 粥左罗. Let me share something that clicked for me recently—it applies to learning, growing, and pretty much how we see life.
I call it: play your own game, even when you’re in a group.
A few weeks ago, a super strong cyclist named Li Si came to Kunming. The local bike shop organized a ride—about 50 people showed up, mostly pros. I’m a total newbie, but I went anyway.
Here’s the thing: I started with them, but I didn’t stay with them. Why? Because they were way too fast. Their average speed was around 40 km/h. I gave it my best for 40 minutes, then I couldn’t hold on anymore. But you know what? I didn’t feel bad. Not even a little.
When I dropped off, I started riding by myself—and suddenly it became fun. Then other slower riders caught up, so we formed little groups. Then I’d lose them, or they’d lose me, and I’d be solo again. It was like a dance.
And that’s when it hit me: this is exactly like building a personal brand, doing knowledge payment, writing, or reading. You join a scene, a community, even a competitive circle—but you never compare yourself to others. The only real opponent is you.
I can’t compare myself to Fan Deng when it comes to reading. He’s been reading books his whole life, 10 or 20 years ahead of me. So I run my book club my way. Some people find Thinking, Fast and Slow easy because they’ve already read tons of hard stuff. For others, it’s a slog—maybe ten pages in half an hour. And that’s totally fine. You go at your pace. But being in the club, checking in together, that gives you the push to keep going.
Same with cycling. When I can’t keep up, I let them go and ride my own rhythm. Once I was with three friends climbing a hill. I reached the top way earlier—maybe half an hour before the slowest guy. Instead of just waiting, I rode back down to meet him, then climbed again with him. I spent the same time with the group, but I also got my training done.
That’s the secret: play your own game while playing with others.
Because honestly, no two people are the same. Even if you’re in the same business—making money, doing content, sharing resources—you’re all running your own race. The group gives you energy, feedback, and pressure. But at the end of the day, it’s you vs. yourself.
So next time you feel behind, remember: you’re not losing—you’re just playing on your own court. And that’s the best game there is.
【Tags】life lessons, personal growth, self-improvement, mindset, cycling, reading