eat or be eaten
You either conquer the plate or get kicked off it. Life's a restaurant and if you don't order the main course, you'll just be the appetizer that gets forgotten.
I stayed late to finish my work. My boss left early and now I'm stuck with all the extra tasks.
I took the lead on the project. My coworker just sat there and got all the credit.
I didn't show up to the meeting. Now I'm stuck with the worst tasks and no one even knows I exist.