The Game of Life

Hello, Divine one. How are you today? I hope all is well, and if you’d love to share, don’t hesitate to use the comments below. As we dive right in, I want you to imagine that I introduced you and my other readers to a game. Statistics say that some people will win it from the beginning, others may lose many times to really understand it, and several will never get it.

Sounds simple and easy to digest, right?

Let’s look at it another way: Life is a game. Some people will win from the beginning, others lose many times to really understand it, while several will never understand it at all. If I lost you, get ready to be found.

There’s a system for and in life. When you take the time to learn how it works, it turns in your favour.

The Facts

I have never been a gamer. It’s very seldom that I find a game that I can play and be confident in.

2K? GTA? All that? Forget it!

For the longest, I used to think if someone said they would take my life or I had to win a game, I’d literally start picking my gravestone. Sad innit?

I used to watch in awe when my brothers and guy friends played their games so effortlessly. Actually, I am still intrigued. I watch in awe because, for me, that hand-eye coordination with an electronic screen just was not there. My bifocals and I could never.

However, I realized over the years that I am good at some games. I may jiggle the thingies on the controller and press random buttons when I’m playing GTA 5, but I can finish a game of Agatha Christie’s Hidden Objects, SpongeBob: Get Cooking, Solitaire, or Diner Dash like it’s no one’s business.

I had to realize that if I wanted to improve my skills, I’d need to invest more time in learning the other games, but it’s not impossible. The only ‘barrier’ is if I WANT to actually invest the time.

By some force of nature, I started getting into games again and it hit me:

Life is a game and to win, you have to be willing to lose a few levels to really grasp what’s in store.

In The Game of Life and How To Play It by Florence Scovel Shin, the author talks about key lessons she’d learned throughout her life, up until the book, about how to live a meaningful life.

I mentioned this book briefly years ago but I’d love to dive into it a little deeper. Check out the previous blog here.

One of the key lessons, in my own words, was understanding ‘You win some and you lose some’.

We have established that I’m not the ‘gamer type’, but I could be if I put the work in. If we transfer this concept to life, it can easily be “I’m not a millionaire yet, but if I dedicate my time and efforts, I could be.”

GAME.

The Game

When learning a new game, we may lose a few times trying to understand it or hesitate when we start a level. There is a moment of strategizing that comes into play once you understand what you’re working with or need to accomplish a certain goal.

How is that any different from life?

In a game, you assess the situation, figure out the best course of action, move accordingly, and adjust/ adapt as necessary. If you’re invested in the game and lose, what do you do?

You think of where you could’ve done better, restrategize, and tackle that level again until you are victorious. If you apply this thinking to your life, you have The Game of Life and How to Play It.

Understand that there is no one size fits all but when you make a conscious decision to give it your all, eventually, you will end up victorious, reveling in the fact that you did not give up.

So, wherever you find yourself in life, whether it’s a high or a low, you CAN thrive and you CAN accomplish your goals. Don’t give up, restart as necessary, and prepare for your greatest comeback ever!