The 3 Rules You Must Follow To Win In Life

Gal Ezra
Aug 12
3 min read

In our team meeting today, I shared a story I believe is worth passing on because it’s not just about basketball. It’s about how you approach your work, your goals, and your life.

When you play in the NBA or any elite sports team, you are considered a really valuable asset that needs to be protected.

The organization invests millions in you, so they protect that investment. Players are often told they can only play during official practices or games.

No casual pickup games.

No random streetball matches.

The risk of injury is too high.

Michael Jordan didn’t agree.

Before signing with the Chicago Bulls, he insisted on adding a special clause to his contract. It would allow him to play basketball anytime, anywhere, with anyone even if it wasn’t “controlled” or “safe.”

It was unheard of.

The team fought against it but Jordan stood his ground.

He was willing to risk his career for it.

Why? Because for him, basketball wasn’t just a paycheck. He played for the love of the game.

Winning or losing, making a big paycheck or not - it didn’t matter. What mattered was being able to play.

He ended up getting that clause and that clause in his contract is called the love of the game clause.

So, what is a game exactly?

We often think a game is just something fun, but it’s more than that. A real game has three elements:

Purpose – What you’re aiming to achieve.
Barriers – The obstacles you must overcome.
Freedoms – What you’re allowed to do within the game.

If you increase the freedom, believe me, there'll be more barriers and more purposes.

The balance between these three makes the game worth playing. If you increase your freedoms, you’ll face more barriers but also gain more meaningful purposes.

For example:

Sitting on the couch: low purpose, low barriers, low freedom.
Working an entry-level job: more purpose, more barriers, more freedom.
Leading a company: huge purpose, major barriers, big freedom.

Life itself is a game - full of purposes, barriers, and freedoms.

When you see it that way, you can win or lose with the same enthusiasm. You keep showing up because you love playing, not just because of what you might win.

Now, let’s talk about seriousness.

Seriousness is when importance is high because of potential punishment. This means that you make something important because of the punishment that might happen.

Example:

“I have to go to work or I can’t pay my bills, then I’ll lose my home, then I’ll end up on the streets.”
“I have to go to the gym or I’ll get sick, have a heart attack, and die early.”

That’s heavy. It turns life into a chore.

When you operate from seriousness, you’re driven by fear. You’re not really playing the game, you’re just avoiding losing.

Instead, what if you went to work because you want to create, help, and grow?

What if you went to the gym because you love challenging your body and feeling strong?

It's a different viewpoint. That’s when life becomes lighter and more successful.

It's not doing something because it's very important.

You can't play a game with seriousness.

So the question is:

Do you wake up every day and “play” for the love of the game?

Or are you only playing to avoid punishment?

When you love the game, you win either way.

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