Tell your story #63 | What works for other people MAY break you!

My colleague makes professional Scrabble look like child's play. He knows every confusing two-letter word, every valid three-letter hook, and can pull bingos (that means, using all seven tiles) out of thin air.

His strategy has always been to play uncommon words so you will challenge the move and earn him some extra 10 points. For instance, he would play RIBALDS instead of BRIDALS or FENITAR instead of FAINTER.

_{Take a look at this.🤦🏽‍♀️}

I have fallen prey to his tactics a couple of times.

In our last retreat, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. I tried coining new words with the letters on my rack, rather than playing the regular words I knew. I only ended up spending more time which made me lose so much time and points.

Imagine spending over one minute trying to figure out the next move to make with the rack AIN?GDAE. That's AINGDAE to the one blank tile (?) on board which was used as the letter "T".

_{A brutal game. Fetched 500+ points each but you already know who lost because of spilled over time.}

I could feel my head do “kraak”. I could feel the pressure to start throwing words on the board just to save the time lost.

But, I am not alone. I believe that you've also experienced this in other aspects of your life.

The Pressure to Conform

As young people, there is always this silent pressure to blend in. You want to participate in what's trending — tech. You wish to adopt other people's winning strategies.

As if this is not enough, you mirror the styles and methods of people who seem to have it “all figured out”.

– Someone posted that they make six figures from copywriting monthly.

– They say that they write over 5 copies in a week.

Suddenly, you feel like abandoning your cake and confectionery business. You want to roll with the big girls and guys too.

Your desires are valid.

But here is what I have learned in the last few years.

The Path to Success

Success does not come from copying other people strategies. Success comes from learning, adapting and walking your own path wisely.

It's beyond imitating people. It involves striving to be the best version of yourself, finding your rhythm and strength.

Of course, you'd learn from people. But watch your steps, lest you lose yourself and authenticity while trying to clone others.

Life is not a template. Also, you can attain that success when you remain innovative and true to yourself.

Have a great week ahead! ❤️ I'm excited to invite @etoro, @julietbella and @jasminemary to join @ruthjoe's new contest.

_{Published 12 October 2025}