Why staying in the game is more important than winning quickly – Life Optimizer
I’m currently reading Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman. There are many lessons to be learned from Caesar’s story, but here I want to share one about the importance of staying in the game.
An incident that occurred in 58 BC, the first year of Caesar’s Gallic War, illustrates this point well:
Caesar was now in a truly dangerous situation, as his troops had only two days of food supplies left, and, much to his chagrin, their commander had allowed a golden opportunity for victory to slip through his fingers. His pride would heal, but Caesar knew he had to find food for his troops quickly. His only chance lay about twenty miles north of the Aedui’s main city, Bracket Hillfort. The massive castle loomed over the surrounding fields and contained enough food to last his troops for weeks. Caesar therefore ceased his pursuit of the Helvetii and turned his forces towards Bebract.
From a human perspective, Caesar had just lost a golden opportunity. He could have pursued the enemy to restore his dignity—attack quickly, achieve victory, and worry about supplies later.
Instead, he recognized that the supply situation was dire. Despite the temptation of a quick victory, he stopped his pursuit and made finding food his first priority.
This decision taught us important lessons:
Staying in the game is more important than winning quickly.
Why? Because a quick victory takes away your ability to continue, which is no victory at all. Quick wins are satisfying, but more important is your ability to stay in the game over the long term.
Simon Sinek makes the same distinction in Infinite Games. Finite games have known players, fixed rules, and a clear finish line—football is a good example. Infinite games have no clear ending; the goal is not to “win” once and for all, but to keep the game going. In an infinite game, the main goal is to maintain the ability to continue.
Caesar behaves like a player in an infinite game. Instead of risking everything for short-term victory, he prioritized the survival of his troops so that they could continue to fight later.
In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey uses the terms productivity and production. You may want to produce a lot, but what matters more in the long run is your ability to produce. You need to be able to continue producing over time, which is why resting, updating, and sharpening your saw is crucial.
As we approach the New Year, keep this in mind: Staying in the game is more important than winning quickly. Caesar made the right decision—and so should we.
