When I look back, I notice one thing: whatever I did, I was always all-in. Today, I see the same in many professionals I meet — passionate, hardworking, pero stuck in the wrong game.
Whether it was playing patintero or shatong in the street, or peddling goods in Antipolo, I gave it everything. No half-effort. No “bahala na.” Just full attention, full energy.
And I don’t think that’s unique to me.
Farmers are all-in every day. Parents working two jobs are all-in. People who care about their craft, even in small roles, can be all-in. Passion is not the problem. Many of us are already passionate. We give our best to what’s in front of us.
The question is: Are we giving our best to the right game?
That’s where this idea of All-in. A-game. Always. started to become clear to me.
Not Every Passion Is Your A-Game
For a long time, I thought that as long as you’re passionate, you’re already playing your A-game.
But that’s not true.
You can be passionate about something that is not your best space. You can be a passionate employee in a company where your real strengths are not used. You can be a passionate follower—working hard to copy what others are doing—without ever stepping into the work you were truly built for.
That’s what I did in many seasons of my life.
I copied teachers. I copied speakers. I copied trainers. Not because I was lazy, but because they were ahead of me. That’s the conventional way: look at those who came before you, imitate, and hope you’ll get similar results.
It’s not always bad. It’s just incomplete.
So I started to think in terms of three games we all play.
Game 1: The Conventional Game
The Conventional Game is where most of us start.
You follow the usual path. You do what’s expected. You play it safe. You become an order-taker. You stand where most people stand. You imitate what works for others and hope it works for you too.
In my journey, you’ve seen me play this game:
- As a young teacher copying my old teachers.
- As a new speaker copying my idols.
- As a trainer copying “best practices.”
Again, it’s not totally wrong. The conventional game can teach you the basics. But if you stay there forever and never take risks, you will always be behind.
Game 2: The Brave Game
The Brave Game is the next level.
Here, you start taking risks. You try something you’ve never done before. You stretch. You improve on the conventional way. Maybe you deliver a workshop differently, experiment with a new business model, or challenge how your team has “always done it.”
The Brave Game feels scary but exciting.
It’s better than just copying, but it doesn’t always change the whole game. Sometimes it’s just a better version of what already exists. Useful, yes—but not yet your full potential.
Game 3: The A-Game
The A-Game is different.
The A-game isn’t just “doing your best.” It’s doing your best in the best situation possible—where:
- Your strengths are fully used.
- Your work feels meaningful.
- Time passes and you don’t notice.
- You solve problems in ways that are faster, simpler, lighter—or even more delightful—than the conventional way.
And often, the A-game is something other people don’t see yet.
When you’re in your A-game:
- You don’t just solve existing problems; you spot new opportunities.
- You don’t just follow paths; you create new paths.
- You don’t just play inside the system; you quietly reshape the system.
That’s when people around you start saying, “Pwede pala ‘yon. Kaya palang gawin ‘yan.”
This is where my work as a shift designer lives. This is my A-game.
In short:
Conventional – you copy.
Brave – you improve.
A-Game – you create.
Why the A-Game Creates New Opportunities
The word “A-game” sounds like performance, but for me it’s really about alignment:
- Aligning what you’re good at
- With problems you can actually solve
- And opportunities you can create—not just wait for.
When someone is playing their A-game, they start seeing things other people miss. They notice patterns, gaps, and possibilities that were invisible before. That’s why A-game players often create disproportionate results.
Think of income for a moment.
We know people who earn ₱15,000 a month. We also know people who earn ₱150,000 a month.
They don’t have ten times the hours. They don’t do ten times the effort. And there are people earning ₱1.5M a month or even a day—they don’t have 100 times the hours either.
They’re not just working harder. They’re often playing a different game.
This is the heart of my Thousandfold way: the goal is not to push yourself to 1,000× effort. The goal is to find and design ways of working where the same person, with the same 24 hours, creates 10×, 100×, or 1000× more impact—because they’re finally in the right game.
“Always” (Including When I Procrastinate)
Now, let’s talk about Always.
I’ll be honest with you: I can be a very consistent procrastinator. Consistency by itself is neutral. You can be consistently excellent… or consistently mediocre. You can be consistently brave… or consistently stuck.
So “Always” doesn’t mean I never fail or never delay. It means I keep returning to this commitment:
- Be all-in with what matters.
- Choose the A-game, not just the conventional game.
- Practice it as often as possible, in real life, not just in my head.
Some days, I slip back into the conventional game—copying, delaying, playing small. When that happens, I try to notice it, forgive myself, and shift back. Because what matters is the combination of the three:
All-in. A-game. Always. Commitment. Alignment. Consistency.
These are not just slogans for me. They’re the way I’m learning to live. They are the beliefs behind every Shift Experience I design and every leader I work with.
I’m still a student of this. I don’t do it perfectly. But I practice it. And I’m sharing it with you because I know you’re probably tired of playing only the conventional game too.
In Work, your A-game might be designing tools, not just attending meetings. In Business, it might be building one product that truly fits you. In Life, it might be choosing a rhythm you can be all-in with.
Maybe your next shift is simple:
- Say yes only to what you can go all-in on.
- Start moving toward your real A-game, not just the safe game.
- And keep coming back to it—again and again—until it becomes your new normal.