01.《有限与无限的游戏》The Game of Finite and Infinite

The author is the famous philosopher James Cass. Among other things, finite games refer to those, which are played with the aim of winning. Such games have clear endpoints, rules and boundaries. For example, football matches, piano exams and final exams. Infinite games, on the other hand, are those in which the aim is to continue. Your goal is not to win, but to keep playing. For example, marriage, life, education, and so on.
However, this classification is not absolute. There are two sides to many things at the same time, a finite side and an infinite side, depending on how the person sees it. For example, if football is simply a game, it is a limited game. If it is a game of self-experience, then it is an infinite game. Another example is that piano exams are finite, while the pursuit of art is infinite. Another example is that the exam thing is finite, but the study is infinite. The finite is a subset of the infinite. The finite game is contained within the infinite game.
From this perspective, you will find that many seemingly finite games, which actually have an infinite aspect, are even an infinite game at all. Business, in fact, is an infinite game. Many people may find it strange that business operation, should be a finite game. You see, most companies, have clear business indicators. For example, turnover, share price, market share, and so on. The company is successful if it meets this target. This is a classic finite game.
However, if you take a larger view, you will find that business is actually an infinite game.
First of all, if you watch a lot of advertising, you will notice a bit of a paradox, that many companies claim to be the number one in their industry. The basic premise of a finite game is that all players agree on the same set of rules. There is only one number one, and it is impossible for everyone to be number one. The lack of uniform rules means that the game has no boundaries, so how can it be a finite game?
Secondly, if you stretch the perspective, you will see that companies generally have a life cycle. In the short term, even if you produce the number one product in terms of market share. But if you can't survive the cycle, you will still be eliminated from the market. For example, back in the day Nokia, almost every phone was a hit, but it went all the way down in the wave of intelligence. This was typical, winning every battle but losing the whole war. From this perspective, the biggest challenge for a company is not to win the hand in front of it, but to make sure it doesn't get off the table. You see, this is the classic, infinite game play.
This is why it is said that, in the long run, business is actually more like an infinite game. From this perspective, the infinite game is, in fact, more a question of posture.
So, how should we switch our posture?
First, be able to transform boundaries into your vision. That is, confronting stereotypes, going deeper and deeper, questioning them, and constantly challenging yourself.
Secondly, you have to know that changing the rules of the game is an absolute necessity.
Thirdly, you prefer to play the game in a light-hearted manner rather than in a serious way.
Fourthly, you like to define the game yourself rather than trying to figure out external rules.
Fifthly, your goal in playing the game is not to pass time, but to generate time.
Sixth, in this game you are concerned with vision, not power.
译文：
作者是著名的哲学家詹姆斯·卡斯。其中，有限游戏指的是那些，以赢为目的的游戏。这类游戏有明确的终点、规则和边界。比如，足球比赛、钢琴考级、期末考试。而无限游戏指的是那些，以延续为目的的游戏。你的目标不是赢，而是一直玩下去。比如婚姻、生活、教育，等等。
但是，这个分类不是绝对的。很多事情都同时有两面，它既有有限的一面，也有无限的一面，全看当事人怎么看。比如，足球，假如单纯是当成比赛，它就是一场有限的游戏。假如当成是一场有关自我的历练，那它就是一场无限的游戏。再比如，钢琴考级是有限的，而对艺术的追求是无限。再比如，考试这件事是有限的，但学习是无限的。有限是无限的子集。有限游戏包含在无限游戏里。
从这个视角出发，你会发现，很多看似有限的游戏，它其实也有无限的一面，甚至根本就是一场无限的游戏。商业，其实就是一场无限的游戏。很多人可能会觉得奇怪，商业经营，应该是一场有限的游戏啊。你看，大多数公司，都有明确的经营指标。比如营业额、股价、市场份额，等等。达到这个目标，公司就是成功的。这是一场典型的有限游戏。
但是，假如建立一个更大的观察视角，你会发现，商业，其实是一场无限的游戏。
首先，假如你经常看广告，会发现一个有点矛盾的现象，就是很多企业，都说自己是这个行业里的第一。要知道，有限游戏的基本前提就是，所有的玩家都认可同一套规则。第一只有一个，不可能人人都是第一。连统一的规则都没有，就意味着这场游戏没有边界，它怎么可能是一场有限的游戏？
其次，假如拉长视角，你会发现，公司普遍都有一个生命周期。短期看，就算你制作出了市场占有率第一的产品。但是，假如你不能穿越周期，还是会被市场淘汰。比如，当年的诺基亚，几乎每一款手机都是爆款，但它在智能化这波浪潮中，却一路下滑。这是典型的，打赢了每一场战役，却输掉了整场战争。从这个角度看，一个公司最大的挑战，不是赢得眼前的牌局，而是要保证自己不下牌桌。你看，这是典型的，无限游戏的玩法。
这就是为什么说，从长远看，商业其实更像一场无限的游戏。从这个角度看，无限游戏，其实更多的是一个姿态问题。
那么，我们应该怎么切换自己的姿态呢？
第一，能够将界限转化为你的视野。也就是，面对思维定式，层层深入，提出质疑，并且不断挑战自己。
第二，你得知道，改变游戏规则是绝对必要的。
第三，比起严肃，你更喜欢以轻松愉快的态度参与游戏。
第四，你喜欢自己定义游戏，而不是去一味揣摩外部规则。
第五，你玩游戏的目标，不是为了消遣时间，而是为了产生时间。
第六，在这场游戏里，你关心的是愿景，而不是权力。