Games teach us rules. Life rewards those who rewrite them.
Years ago, every weekend became a ritual of financial education disguised as entertainment. We'd gather around a board game called Cashflow, created by Robert Kiyosaki of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".
If you've never played it, think of Monopoly with a purpose beyond domination. In Cashflow, you start with a profession. Doctor. Janitor. Teacher. Engineer. Each role comes with its income, expenses, and debts. Your mission isn't to bankrupt others but to escape what Kiyosaki calls "the rat race" - that point where your passive income exceeds your expenses.
The game typically unfolds over 2-3 hours. You roll dice. You go through Iife experiences. You buy assets, pay for liabilities. You manage cash flow. You feel the weight of your financial decisions as your miniature plastic token circles the board. It's entertaining, but more importantly, it's real. Your habits in the game often mirror your approach to money in life. That is why playing frequently is enjoyable: you can test your theories on a board game.
Then came the Saturday that changed everything.
When Joe Broke the Game
Joe joined us that day. I've met Joe a few times, but always in passing and never a real conversation before that day. As we assigned professions, Joe drew the nurse card, not the highest income in the deck.
"I'm a nurse," he announced, "but I won't use any of my income. My goal today is to get everyone out of the rat race."
We laughed with a smile of confusion. "What are you talking about, Joe?"
But Joe wasn't joking. When he picked up his first Big Deal card, instead of making his move, he paused. Studied it. Then looked around the table.
"Masrur, how much cash do you have right now?"
"Can anyone take a loan against their assets?"
"What's your monthly cash flow if you offload this property?"
Within minutes, Joe had transformed from player to coordinator. He leaned forward, eyes bright with possibility.
"If we structure this deal this way, pooling our resources and splitting the returns proportionally, will you be in?"
What followed was remarkable. Joe orchestrated a syndicate, aligned incentives, pooled resources, and created a structure where everyone contributed what they could and received what they needed.
Fifteen minutes later, every player had escaped the rat race.
Fifteen minutes. Not hours. Minutes.
The Revelation
"Joe, how did you do that?" we asked, stunned by what had just happened.
He smiled and shared words I've never forgotten:
"Most people think there's a box and a right way to play the game. Even when they say they're thinking 'outside the box' - they're still defining the game by the box itself. But the truth is... there is no box. The game is yours to play. The laws are real, yes. But the strategy? That's your canvas."
Beyond the Boundaries
That day transformed how I approach not just board games, but business, investing, relationships - everything.
We're conditioned to optimize within given parameters. Work harder within the system. Climb faster within the hierarchy. Invest smarter within the market.
But the greatest innovators throughout history didn't just excel within systems. They reimagined them.
Kiyosaki created Cashflow to teach financial literacy through experience. But Joe taught us something even more valuable: the power of collaborative creation. He showed that true innovation often means questioning the very premise of the game.
The rules said each player had their own money, their own assets, their own journey around the board. Nothing explicitly prohibited collaboration, but the implicit understanding was "every player for themselves."
Joe saw differently. He recognized that the true objective wasn't competition but collective liberation from financial constraints. By reframing the challenge, he created a solution that served everyone.
The Wider Application
How often do we limit ourselves by accepting the perceived boundaries of our situations?
In business, we compete within industries rather than creating new categories.
In careers, we climb ladders instead of building elevators.
In investing, we chase returns within asset classes rather than designing new vehicles.
The most significant breakthroughs happen when we stop trying to win the game as defined and start questioning the game itself.
This isn't about breaking rules. It's about seeing beyond artificial constraints to recognize possibilities others miss.
The Truth About Boxes
That Cashflow game years ago wasn't just about financial strategy. It revealed something fundamental about human perception and possibility.
We create boxes in our minds. We draw boundaries where none exist. We accept limitations that are merely conventions.
The greatest freedom comes from recognizing this truth: There is no box. Only the story you choose to believe.
And once you see that, everything changes.