Pokémon finally released the product lineup for its 30th anniversary trading card game expansion. The theme will be “day and night.” As a result, the two most prominent pokémon representing this theme will be featured in the flagship product, the Ultra Premium Collection.
Those pokémon are Espeon and Umbreon, two evolutions of Eevee, first introduced in the second generation of Pokémon games. In order to attain them, you had to treat your Eevee well, then evolve it either during the day or at night. The product features them on the sleeves, a coin, a playmat, a deck box, and, most importantly, on a specially illustrated, rare card, along with many other pokémon.
As soon as I saw it, I sighed. “Ahh, what a great time to be an Umbreon collector. And what a terrible time to be an Umbreon collector.”
The collection will already be Pokémon’s most expensive product of that kind ever released, even at the retail price of $200. But the market is hot, so most likely, you won’t find it under $400, maybe even $600. However much it’s going to be, getting this product, even just the card, will hurt my wallet. But, in order to keep my “master set” of all Umbreon cards intact, I’ll need it. Another challenge to grow with.
On the other hand, I already have most other Umbreon cards. And guess which cards are going up in price right now due to the excitement around the new, upcoming collection? So while I’ll have to shell out a pretty penny to keep my collection up to date, the value of my existing collection will also grow. I lose, and yet I also win.
This same dynamic applies elsewhere. If you’ve been into AI stocks for a while, and the latest IPO sends the market soaring, you might not be able to scoop up Wall Street’s newest darling on the cheap. But the AI stocks you already have will also benefit. When you’ve been personally recording a podcast for five years, and now AI makes podcasts easy to manufacture at scale, that will increase your competition. But it also gives you a chance to stand out for being the only human in a sea of robots.
When it feels like it’s always both a good time and a bad time, that’s a sign you’re actually playing the game. You’ve got skin in it, so wherever you benefit, you’ll also have to accept some drawbacks—and vice versa.
Don’t let either side take over your emotions. Enjoy the good, deal with the bad. And focus on what’s most important: You are where you’re meant to be, participating in the arena you belong in.
