The Races of Life -- The Philosophy of Staying Ahead

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Staying Ahead in The Races of Life

Life today is a form of competition; a meritocracy that exists on many levels, from your career, to the possibility of being remembered by the world, to your dating life (if you choose to date).

In order to stay as much as possible on the top on these various degrees of life’s meritocracy, you have to give people a reason to remember and value you as a person and as a functioning unit in the world’s productive machine. Otherwise, you'll be discardable.

• You have to give your employer a reason to keep you on the job and not replace you.

• Give your audience a reason to keep remembering you.

• Give your current date a reason to not search for a better partner (and oblige to make you feel jealous).

And the list goes on.

Gone are the days when people were considered more worthy than others because of their ancestry. The fact that your parents or grandparents did this and that, or were public figures does not, at least most of the time, give you a reason to stay ahead in life's many competitive areas. What usually does has to do with other unfair advantages, such as wealth, being part of a certain race, and even beauty. Otherwise, unless you're a heir to a large fortune, your default value in society has to be worked on, in order to greatly succeed in life.

Settle with what you currently have, like many ascetics would do in the name of peace, and you will be left behind in the many fields of life. And as a capitalist mentality would teach us, full satisfaction is the enemy of innovation and of greater progress. As such, the innate need for peace, in some of us, could be a liability.

Maintaining Your Existence For the Finish Line

There's a reason why life often feels like a constant uphill battle. Just like a car, if you neglect its maintenance, it won't run smoothly for long. Other well-maintained vehicles will easily drive past you, leaving you to eat their dust.

Life is an arena, a competitive landscape where merit and competence are the keys to success. The most desired and inspiring and determined individuals often find themselves reaping the biggest rewards, which are, after all, limited in quantity and quality.

• Despite wealth being abundant in the world, much of it is held by 1 to 2 percent of the world's population. This means that the distribution of wealth is severely limited for the vast majority of the world's population.

• Billions of people live in third world countries, including South and Central America, all of Africa and most of Asia.

While hard work does not guarantee your desired success, as 50% of businesses fail within 5 years, hard work is key to increase your chance at succeeding. Both in work and in relationships.

Remember: In the races of life, the odds are against you. Work hard, work ruthlessly, even, and the opposing odds will decrease with time. You may cheat your way to your goals, only to increasingly risk the long-term consequences of your actions. Hence why it's said that cheats never prosper.

Another important insight to remember: losing is an inevitable part of the journey. In fact, you could fail your way to success, as long as you refuse to relent, and build yourself up with your failures (like rejections).

Sometimes, someone else simply has a better "CV" – a more impressive resume of skills and experiences – at a given time. You must train yourself and always seek to improve if you want to increase your chances, in this case, to be employed. Remember, in the professional world, humans are seen as resources. Improve the resource that is yourself, and people will not only seek to hire you, but also:

• Want to be around you.

• Want to love you.

• Want to respect you.

• Will generally tolerate your presence more.

• Will care more for your thoughts (despite the ad-hominem fallacy).

All aspects of life where resources are limited, but some resources can be refined. The key to staying ahead of others is to improve your value by seeking mastery, until you become truly irreplaceable.

Are you disadvantaged unfairly? Use this as an opportunity to improve above those without these unfair disadvantages. Mere complaining will not help your cause. Improving will. As an autist with no degrees, it's what I did, am doing, and will continue doing!

Instead of weapons, you have your own arsenal of strengths: your merit, your accomplishments, and your overall conduct. By honing these assets, you'll be better equipped to navigate the numerous "races" of life.

Beyond a life of full retirement from society, existence is continuous effort to stay ahead. With the right approach and its application, you can ensure your engine keeps running smoothly and propel yourself towards your goals.