The Game of Life

     You put your phone in it and then place it over your eyes. One quick adjustment of focus and volume is all it takes.  You are now in another world.  You look up, you look down, you look side to side and you can see it all.  This is amazing.  Just 10 seconds ago you were in your living room and now you are in another world. 

      Virtual reality is really amazing isn’t it?  Now that you are here you decide to take a few moments to play a game. Since you have this amazing technology you might as well feel the joy of winning a game.  You move the controller to select the game and then you are off. You are in a simulated world where your mission is to ….. you fill in the blank.  If you accomplish that mission you win the game with smiles and bragging rights.

  We’ve all had the pleasure of playing games in our lifetime. Some of them simple like kick ball or dodge ball at the park.  Some of them more complicated because they involved a board or a deck of cards. Lastly some of them are digital and very complex, often with a steep learning curve to accompany it.  You enjoy playing all of these games not only for the entertainment but also because you enjoy winning.

      When it comes to your life you can easily be compare it to those digital, complex, steep learning curve games.  There’s a high probability that you’ve heard the phrase “Life’s a game, play it” at some point in your history.   Do you agree with the idea of that phrase?  If so take a few minutes to ponder the following content to see if you agree with it also. If not take a few minutes to ponder the following content to see if it changes your opinion. 

      Let’s now take a moment to think about a digital, complex, steep learning curve game you may have played at some point in your life. In this game there is a simulated world that the player exists inside of to play the game.  Your role in playing the game is to negotiate the player through the simulated world using the controller to do whatever tasks are necessary to win the game.  You are in control of your player or multiple players depending on the game.  The key point is that you are in control.

       Since you are in control you will take a strategy that you believe will win you the game.  You will take actions that align to that strategy.  You will have to think about your every move.  You will have to make quick decisions.  You will have to react to everything that is happening around you in the game.  You will not be able to just coast through the game and expect to win.  Your presence, awareness and actions will be critical to your ability to win the game.

  You will have to learn the rules of the game and follow them. You will have to determine whether your strategy is working based on your results and decide whether you need to change your strategy.  Because it’s digital game that many may play across the world you may research and find some cheat codes that give you an advantage in the game.  They are called "cheat codes" but what they are really advantages that work that everyone doesn’t know about.  Everyone can learn them but most don’t take the time to find them because winning the game isn’t that important to them. 

      Life is exactly like the game described above.  You are living in a simulated world.  It is simulated because it is only real based on how your brain interprets it.  You may not agree but you must admit that we all see the world differently.  Your reality may be different than the person sitting next to you who is living in the same world as you do.  It is different because they interpret it differently. Your role in life is to negotiate through this world and do whatever is necessary to win.  You will have to react to everything that is happening around you. You are in total control.

     As with any game, since you are in control you will need to come up with a strategy that you believe will allow you to win.  You will have to think about your every move in life. You will need to make many decisions in life.  You will not be able to just coast through life and expect to win.  Your presence, awareness and actions are going to determine if you ultimately win in your life.

     Life also comes with many rules that you will need to follow in order to win.  You will have to determine if the strategy you have taken to win life is working based on your results and decide whether you need to change your strategy.  Life also has some “cheat codes” that if used will give you an advantage to help you win.  These “cheat codes” are available to everyone but everyone either doesn’t know about them or doesn’t choose to use them.  Unfortunately, just as in games many people don’t take the time to find or use them because winning at life just isn’t that important to them.

    If you are reading this then winning at life is important to you.  You definitely have some “cheat codes” you are currently using.  You may practice a religious faith to help you win at life.  You may read books.  You may network and build your community.  You may maintain your health to an optimum level at all times.  There are a multitude of habits you may have to give you an advantage towards winning at life.  Consider this a reminder to keep up the good work.  You are a winner and those advantages will ultimately help you win.

      However, you should also have an open mind that there are more advantages out there that you may not be taking advantage of today.  Some of these advantages have been around for centuries and still work today.  If your curiosity is peaked I suggest a book titled Working with the Law by Raymond Holliwell.  It was written in 1964 and discusses 11 Laws that if followed will give you the advantages you seek to win at life.  Another option that has been around for centuries is The Kybalion which discusses The Seven Hermetic Principles for self-mastery.  It was originally published in 1908 and discusses principles used in ancient Egypt and Greece.      

       Even if you don’t read either of those books please do your own research.  There are advantages out there that you don’t know about or aren’t using.  Your “cheat codes” are out there waiting on you to use them. You have a goal to win at life and you should take every advantage available to do so.  You are a winner and that is what winners do. 

As always, I wish you the best and remind you to enjoy the journey.
 
With Gratitude,
Drew