The Pain of Playing at a High Level
“Those who can tolerate pain the most—the ones with the most endurance—give themselves the highest chance of winning in business.”
That’s the game. You choose to be an entrepreneur, but that choice comes with pain.
- You could have had a stable, predictable career, but instead, you chose uncertainty and high risk.
- You could have been clocking out at 5 PM, but instead, your brain never clocks out.
- You could have spent your weekend relaxing, but instead, you’re troubleshooting client issues, optimizing ads, or planning your next launch
.
It’s not just about skill—it’s about endurance.
Some times, you’ll work 18-hour days, 7 days a week, and still feel like you’re spinning your wheels.
Some nights, you’ll stare at a spreadsheet full of numbers and question why you’re doing this to yourself.
The Goliath Principle
- Staying consistent when they’re distracted.
- Focusing on what matters while they chase vanity plays.
- Pushing through when they get comfortable.
The Hardest Part of Being a CEO
“Most people think that the day-to-day employee has the highest chance of getting fired, but the reality is that no one is fired more often than the company founder or CEO.”
The Five Moves That Shape a Business
1. Master Knowing Yourself
2. Master the Ability to Reason
3. Master Building the Right Team
4. Master Strategy to Scale
5. Master Power Plays
- The right acquisition.
- The right partnerships.
- The right industry timing.
Most entrepreneurs think too small when they should be looking for power plays.
Final Thoughts
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I read a lot. My house shelves hold more than a thousand books, and that’s not even counting my Kindle purchases and Advanced Review Copies from publishers.
This also means my TBR (to-be-read) pile is dictated by my mood—so naturally, some great books sit untouched for months. As a marketer and strategist, solving problems is my job. So, of course, this became another problem to solve.
This time, the solution is via my son. He gets to pick at least one fiction and one non-fiction book for me every other week. A perfect system—because every book I own deserves some love.
And that’s how I ended up reading Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bet-David.
I had no expectations. First read from the author.
No preconceptions.
When I asked my son why he picked this, his answer was simple: “It has a chess reference on the cover, and I love chess.”
That was enough for me.
Because business isn’t just one game of chess—it’s multiple games against multiple opponents at once. And for me, it’s not about winning or losing—it’s about how well you play and the experience you create for everyone involved.
The Pain of Playing at a High Level
“Those who can tolerate pain the most—the ones with the most endurance—give themselves the highest chance of winning in business.”
That’s the game. You choose to be an entrepreneur, but that choice comes with pain.
-
You could have had a stable, predictable career, but instead, you chose uncertainty and high risk.
-
You could have been clocking out at 5 PM, but instead, your brain never clocks out.
-
You could have spent your weekend relaxing, but instead, you’re troubleshooting client issues, optimizing ads, or planning your next launch.
It’s not just about skill—it’s about endurance.
Some times, you’ll work 18-hour days, 7 days a week, and still feel like you’re spinning your wheels.
Some nights, you’ll stare at a spreadsheet full of numbers and question why you’re doing this to yourself.
And sometimes, you’ll lose a client, a key team member, or a major deal, and it will feel personal—even when it’s just business.
“But this is the best part - If you keep playing the game, you get better.”
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The Goliath Principle
One of the best concepts Patrick introduces is the “Goliath principle.”
He says every market leader gets complacent at some point. They slow down, get distracted, or stop innovating.
That’s when you make your move.
You don’t beat Goliath with brute force. You do it by:
-
Staying consistent when they’re distracted.
-
Focusing on what matters while they chase vanity plays.
-
Pushing through when they get comfortable.
This is exactly how underdog brands win against industry giants.
But—and this is important—this is only relevant if you WANT to be at the top.
If your goal is balance, if you’re not aiming for dominance, that’s fine. And that’s totally normal too.
But if you want to scale, take market share, and be the authority in your space—you have to play the long game.
The Hardest Part of Being a CEO
“Most people think that the day-to-day employee has the highest chance of getting fired, but the reality is that no one is fired more often than the company founder or CEO.”
This line hit hard.
Every time an employee quits, it’s a form of being fired—because you couldn’t give them a reason to stay.
Every time a customer chooses a competitor, it’s a form of being fired—because your offer wasn’t strong enough.
Every time you lose a big deal, it’s a form of being fired—because someone else out-positioned you.
As a CEO, everything is on you.
The Five Moves That Shape a Business
Here’s the framework Patrick lays out:
Master Knowing Yourself
Master Knowing Yourself
Before you make moves, you need to know what game you’re even playing.
Are you trying to build a lifestyle business or an empire?
Are you obsessed with the craft or just in it for the money?
Most businesses fail not because of strategy, but because the founder has no clarity.
Master the Ability to Reason
Master the Ability to Reason
The best CEOs think ahead.
They play out different scenarios, predict outcomes, and make decisions faster.
Emotional decisions? Kill businesses.
Data-driven decisions? Scale them.
Master Building the Right Team
Master Building the Right Team
One person doesn’t scale a company. A team does.
The challenge? Hiring isn’t just about skills—it’s about culture, alignment, and long-term vision.
A wrong hire can cost you more than a lost client.
Master Strategy to Scale
Master Strategy to Scale
Scaling isn’t just about growth—it’s about systemizing success.
Most businesses grow fast, then collapse because they never built the right foundation.
If your systems, ads, and processes aren’t scalable, you’re setting yourself up for burnout.
Master Power Plays
Master Power Plays
The biggest shifts happen through bold moves—not safe ones.
-
The right acquisition.
-
The right partnerships.
-
The right industry timing.
Final Thoughts
Is this book worth reading? Absolutely.
If you’re an entrepreneur, CEO, or marketer, you’ll get a lot of value from the decision-making frameworks alone.
For me, this book wasn’t about learning something new—it was about getting clarity on what I already knew but needed to refine.
And that’s the thing about business books.
The best ones don’t just teach you new tactics—they make you think differently about what you’re already doing.
This book does that really well.
If you’ve read it, let me know your thoughts.
And if you haven’t—this might be your next move.
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