Skin in the game

By Daniel Francis

I’ve recently embarked on a new pursuit to read the Bible in its entirety. I started this endeavour when I shamefully realised that outside of the most popular books in the Bible, I’m not very knowledgeable of the others.

Funnily enough, this goal was born from a video I saw on social media where a host went into public spaces and asked passersby to name books in the Bible starting with certain letters. It was quite alarming how many people failed at the challenge. I was stumped at a few and realised there was a gap in my knowledge.

So I began reading. Most mornings, I read a few chapters. Sometimes I wake up late and skip the practice, extending my timeframe to finish my goal.

I began thinking about ways to stay a bit stricter with myself. Then one afternoon, while reading a new self-help book, it came to me: get some ‘skin in the game’. A tried-and-true approach that is simple yet effective.

We’re driven by simple psychological behaviour. In this case, motivation is greater when we are fighting not to lose something versus fighting to gain something.

Human psychology dictates that we tend to be motivated by loss aversion. What does that look like in practice? You do not attend Mass regularly, so you sign up for a ministry where you have an active role in preparing for Mass. You want to be more intentional with prayer, so you join a prayer group in your community.

You want to go to the gym more frequently, so you create a WhatsApp group with your friends and share your progress after each workout. You want to increase your level of education to qualify for better-paying jobs, so you enrol in a Master’s programme.

In all the examples given, there is either monetary or social currency at stake. ‘Skin in the game’ works because when you give yourself something to lose, you tap into the part of you that is heavily motivated to keep your current status quo.

In my case, I decided to join a Bible study group that meets regularly. It helps me accomplish my goal of reading the Bible from cover to cover because I have shared my intention with a group of people, and I don’t want to become someone who goes against their goals. I am extra motivated here to protect my social currency.

I think back to Lent when I got the idea of charging myself $10 for each sin during that period. I’d probably never been so dialled in. That’s because I had something to lose: money.

If you’re serious about wanting to improve in some area of your life, having skin in the game is a great approach to motivate you. We don’t always have to solely rely on our willpower to power our way through. We can raise the stakes in a way that helps us along, either through community or giving ourselves something to lose that keeps us more motivated.

Think about where you are not showing up enough in your faith. Then think about the avenues which can help you improve. The good thing about getting skin in the game is that the first step can be easy to do, and once you have begun, it’s hard to fall off because you have some form of currency you want to protect.

Happily, after a while, the actions towards your goals will become less laborious, and you will develop more internal motivation to achieve them. If you need that extra push to get started, why not try this out?

Daniel Francis is a millennial helping other millennials. He is a two-time author of the books The Millennial Mind and The Millennial Experience, and an entrepreneur. Over the past four years, he has served as a Personal Development Coach whose work targets Millennials and helps them tap into their full potential. He is also a self-publishing coach and has guided hundreds on self-publishing their book successfully.

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