Do You Know Your True Rating?

Who is more successful?

A Grandmaster with 2,750? Or a master with 2,400?
A billionaire? Or a millionaire?
An influencer with a million followers? Or one with a thousand?

The world screams the same answer each time.
“The first one! The bigger the number, the bigger the success!”

Why?

Because that’s what the world sees and can measure.
Numbers.

And what does the world teach?
Numbers.

And as the world’s students, what do we clap for?
Yes, numbers…

The world teaches us:
“Achieve.
Higher.
More.
Then the highest.
Then the most.
Then you’ll be a success.”

I was the world’s student too.
For the first 19 years, I followed the script.

I chased ratings. Titles. Bank digits.
The world was proud of me. I was successful.

But only from outside… And inside?

The world didn’t have access to my soul.
It didn’t see how miserable I was…

You know what it didn’t measure?

How grateful I was to my parents and friends.
How kind I was to the waiter.
How much love I gave.
Whether I went to bed proud of how I lived that day.

These things?
They didn’t show up next to my Grandmaster title.
They weren’t listed on LinkedIn.
Not on Facebook either.
The world only saw what I posted.

But they showed up in my soul.

And deep down, I knew.
I wasn’t a success.

Only at 19, after becoming a Grandmaster, I asked the dangerous question:

What if success isn’t about numbers? 
What if the most important rating… isn’t even on the board?

It took me 17 more years to find an answer I was satisfied with.

But first, let me clarify something.

I’m not saying money is evil.
Or ambition is bad.
Or titles are meaningless.
Or that winning tournaments makes you a villain.

No.

Make money. Crush your goals. Win everything you want.

But stay awake while doing it.

And don’t let the applause drown out your own voice.

If you cheat your values to win, it’s not a win.

If your ELO rises but your ego rises faster, you’re not stronger, just heavier to be around.

If you become a Grandmaster and lose your humility, you’re not a great man, just titled.

If you get rich and become more arrogant, you’re not wealthy, just expensive.

If you climb to the top and forget where you came from…

Congrats, you made it! 
And lost yourself on the way.

You can win the world and lose your soul.
And nobody will even notice.

But you will.
Every night, when it gets quiet.

Success?

It’s where the journey takes you.
It’s how big your heart is at the end of it.

That’s the only rating that matters. 

That’s the real scoreboard.
And you update it with every move you make.

So play well, my friend.
Play with heart.

It won’t be easy.
The world will whisper in your ear.
It’ll wave numbers in your face.
Ratings. Salaries. Followers. Likes on your last post.

Trying to drag you back into the race.

It’ll take courage to walk your own path.
Focus, to keep your eyes on your journey.

I know how hard it is.
I’ve lived it. We’ve lived it at ChessMood.

That’s why we’re not just here to help you win more games.
Raise rating.
Achieve your dream titles.
Become a champion.

But to help you become a champion of your journey.
In chess and in life.

With best wishes and love,
GM Avetik (or Avo, as my friends call me)

***

You agree or disagree, you like or don’t like… You’re always free to share your thoughts on the comments.

#RightMood_RightMove (Our Slogan!)
With the right mood, you make the right moves. In chess and in life.

#CoGro
Constant Growth. Every day. One step at a time. That’s how we live at ChessMood.

#Journey_is_the_reward
That’s what we believe in.

P.S.
The article was originally published on https://chessmood.com/blog, where you’ll find over 100 other articles written by Grandmasters, who share tips from their professional journeys and how to adopt the right mindset for this beautiful game, in order to have fun and grow at the same time. 

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