🤯 The game is rigged — here’s how to win (Part 1)
There are 2 types of people in the world...
Quote
"Everything changes for the better when you take ownership of your own problems."
Robert Ringer
First, there are the NPCs
In video games, Non-Player Characters (NPCs) exist to create the illusion of a world alive. They populate towns, repeat scripted dialogue, and react in predictable ways — but they don’t actually play the game.
They’re the shopkeeper who always says, “Welcome, traveler.” The villager whose only thought is, “Dark times are coming…” The blacksmith who mutters, “Someone should really fix that damn bridge…” and then keeps hammering the same sword he’s been working on for eternity, never once considering picking up a plank himself.
NPCs don’t deviate. They don’t innovate. They don’t connect dots. They exist in loops — saying the same things, thinking the same thoughts, waiting for the real players to come along and take action. They see the cracks in the world but never wonder if they could be the ones to fix them. They’ll probably get more interesting with AI. But generally speaking, they’re just… there, wandering.
Then, there are the PCs
Player characters are the ones who make things happen, the ones with all the control, the ones actually playing. PCs don’t hover in town debating whether someone should fight the dragon. They grab the sword and chop off its head. They don’t repeat, “I hear there’s trouble brewing in the east…” for the 600th time. They ride east and handle it.
In the real world, you want to be a PC.
PCs understand something most people don’t: no one is coming to pick you. There is no grand selection process where a wise old wizard anoints you the chosen one. You either step forward, or you stay in the background. The defining trait of a PC is simple: ownership. If something is broken, you fix it. If something is missing, you build it.
The world defaults to the people who step up.
Their success is a product of the problems they choose to solve and are willing to own. The problem? Most people never leave rung one. So, where do you actually fall on this scale of ownership?
The NPC Ladder, explained:
Bottom Rung: “I just work here.”
The NPC. The spiritual leader of people whose best skill is looking busy and think the hard part is showing up. To climb, take real responsibility for something.
2nd Rung: “Nobody told ME to do anything.”
The Human Motion Detector. Only takes action when directly asked — otherwise, never takes action. To climb, build a bias for action and learn to start moving without clear direction.
3rd Rung: “Someone should really fix this.”
The Armchair CEO. Genius at diagnosing problems, allergic to solving them. Believes tweeting about inefficiencies is the same as fixing them. To climb, stop diagnosing, start fixing. No more “someone should.”
4th Rung: “If nobody else steps up, I guess I will.”
The Lazy Fixer. Competent but stagnant. Welcomes responsibility the way people welcome jury duty — not thrilled, but you’ll do it. Their career is at an inflection point: lean in, level up. Lean out, stay put. To climb, lean in. If something needs to be owned, own it.
Top Rung: “I’ll handle it.”
The PC. Sees problems, takes action. Doesn’t need to be asked. When decisions get made, everyone looks their way to confirm. People start defaulting to them when things break. First to be promoted. First to be given more ownership.
🚀 Want to make more money? Climb the ladder. Want to get promoted? Climb the ladder. Want to build a business? Climb the ladder. Over time, you’ll solve bigger, more valuable problems. Eventually, like a cheat code, the world will open up for you.This is from Codie Sanchez of Contrarian Thinking. Read the full piece here
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