Why It’s Hard to Win When the Rules Keep Changing
We’ve become too focused on winning instead of on how we’re playing the game.
Or, Who Moved My Goalpost?
Dr. Spencer Johnson’s book, Who Moved My Cheese? is about managing change in your life and business, something we all need to succeed. We need to be confident in ambiguity and watchful while waiting.
The parable’s characters are cleverly named Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw.
Sniff is the observer; Scurry is the doer. Both have a bias toward action. Both are change agents, something every business needs.
You can gather what Dr. Johnson infers by the names of the second pair, Hem and Haw. When you’re not paying attention to how the world and culture are changing because you are content with the status quo, two things can happen:
You’re going to miss out on the opportunity that God lays before you
You will not be prepared to cope when the rules and circumstances change.
You may have noticed that things are changing. When a publisher (specifically news organizations and marketing platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple, and Google) can censor free speech and restrict free enterprise without regard to the Constitution or our laws, we lose our voices.
It's hard to win when these same enterprises de-platform and manipulate companies, brands, and individuals because they change service terms on the fly.
It’s hard to win when the rules keep changing, and the goalposts keep moving.
We’re facing a problem: Too many people want to be content with the status quo. Politically and culturally, we’re returning to what people are comfortable with while entering a period that will make us more uncertain about the future of our family, businesses, and culture.
Maybe we’ve become too focused on winning instead of focusing on how we’re playing the game.
Jesus warned us: “I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves.” (Mt 10:16, GW)
Traditionally, there are seven pillars of society, culture, and influence: religion and faith, family, education, government and law, media and news, arts & entertainment, and business & economy. Truth and Liberty refer to these seven pillars (or spheres of influence) as a cultural mandate for the Kingdom of God.
Here’s How to Play by A Different Set of Rules:
Stand in the gap. You can’t be everywhere at once, and being influential in every sphere is difficult. Pray about where you can be most effective and stand in the gap. The enemy will fill the void if you don’t stand in the opening.
Pay attention to what’s happening in culture because it will affect you, your business, and your family in one or all of society’s seven spheres.
Don’t be a dull blade. Deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible, the Constitution, and your civil rights. Surround yourself with people who sharpen you and whom you can sharpen.
Finally, be courageous. Take comfort and be encouraged by your heavenly Father from Psalms 27:14 (GW):
Wait with hope for the LORD.
Be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Yes, wait with hope for the LORD.