The Game Is Rigged—Play Smarter
Photo a poker game but I see a stacked rigged game
When I was in my first few years of college, I started seeing the world differently. I was learning about systems, incentives, statistics—all at increasingly advanced levels.
I remember sitting in a classroom, listening to a lecture on economic structures, when something clicked. If the system worked for everyone, why did it feel like it was working against me? That thought lingered. And the more I learned, the more I kept coming back to the same question:
Who benefits from my condition?
At that time, my condition was poverty. Not just a temporary struggle, not just being “broke for a season.” It was my generational reality—until it wasn’t. And when I looked at it through a systems-thinking lens, I started asking something deeper:
Who is incentivized for me to stay poor?
Because make no mistake—there are always incentives.
And when I started looking at life this way, I saw the bigger picture. The statistical probability of staying poor? It wasn’t in my favor. But beyond the statistics, I needed to know: Who profits from me staying right where I am?
Who Benefits? Who Pays?
That same thinking still guides me today.
Who benefits when I’m sick? Who benefits when I’m healthy?
I do. But beyond me—who else?
Who benefits when I’m broke? Who benefits when I build wealth?
Here’s the hard truth: Wherever you are in life, someone benefits from it. And someone doesn’t.
So the real question is: Are you aligned with those who benefit from where you are? And if they’re benefiting, are you? Is there reciprocity, or are you just part of someone else’s system?
Because if someone else is profiting off of you, then you should be, too.
Did you catch that?
The Power of Asking: Who’s Getting Paid?
One of the best ways to understand your reality is to follow the money.
When I look at a system, I ask: Who is getting paid? And how?
Take healthcare, for example.
Do doctors get paid more when they keep you healthy or when you keep coming back?
Do hospitals profit from wellness—or from sickness?
Most health financing rewards providers based on the volume of sick people and the conditions they treat. The system is set up to pay for sickness, not health.
And the same dynamic exists in financial services.
Banks don’t chase after the “financially sick” because there’s no profit in it. Regulations cap what banks can charge, so struggling families often end up in the ER of payday lenders—institutions that don’t just charge interest; they extract organs for payback.
That’s how the system works. And if you don’t see it, you’re just a part of it.
Who’s Winning?
Here’s my point: Business is business—even healthcare, as it stands today, is just that—a business. Where the incentives go, the service and results follow.
So ask yourself: Are the incentives working for you or against you?
And if they’re working against you, what are you going to do about it?
Don’t just accept the system as it is—learn how to play the game.
Start by:
Questioning the incentives in your own life. Who benefits from your financial habits, healthcare choices, or career moves?
Aligning yourself with those who benefit from your success. Are you connected to people and institutions that actually want you to thrive?
Building wealth, health, and power on your own terms. Because if you don’t, someone else will do it at your expense.
The system isn’t changing anytime soon. But you can change how you move within it.
#FollowTheMoney #FinancialTruths #SystemsThinking #WealthPerspective
#Incentives
About Me:
Hi, I’m Orvin Kimbrough—volunteer, board director, and chairman & CEO of the nearly $3 Billion asset Midwest BankCentre. I help professionals scale confidence, leadership, and influence by driving mindset shifts, expanding networks, sharing knowledge, and encouraging bold action.
I share insights on leadership, resilience, and personal growth—rooted in my journey from foster care to CEO. 📖 Twice Over a Man, my recently released book, has been described as inspiring, honest, and transformative. Readers call it a leadership manual wrapped in a powerful, relatable memoir of perseverance and faith.
For more Reflections (and broader lessons learned), visit orvinkimbrough.com