Lessons I have Learned from Games - Part 1

by Wendy Byford
There are two games I play when I am not working, reading, or listening to the airline hostess tell me that I am sitting in the emergency row. While they started as a way to entertain myself when I was too tired to work – late night flights from here to there come to mind – I grew to respect the lessons I learned from playing them.

The first game is called Jewel Quest II. It sits on my cell phone. For all of you from the IRS, it doesn’t cost me any minutes. The objective of the game is to line up 3 pieces in a row so their game squares turn to gold. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to play; which is good, because, as I recall, I didn’t take that class. The lesson this game taught me is easy to describe but took quite awhile to sink in – Let Go. Now for all of you who are spiritually minded, you probably got this lesson a long time ago. I applaud you. However, in my case, the Universe decided I needed remedial training. In my mind’s eye I can see my mentors, Bob Proctor and John Assaraf, cringing in the background. “We thought you had this one nailed.” Well, apparently not. So the Universe chose a unique way of showing me.

When I first started playing Jewel, I would try to hang onto positions so I could maneuver the pieces into just the right configuration. Of course – yes, I can hear all of you game players laughing into your PCs – the board had other ideas. Determined not to be out-strategized by a piece of electronics, I tried harder. The positions, points and time slipped away. Finally one day, in absolute frustration, I just let a position go and all the game pieces fell neatly into place – better than my original strategy. Huh. I tried it again, and again it worked. Now I am not saying I do not have to play the game; but the lesson I learned is that after I have done the best I can to line things up, I have to let the positions go and see what happens. Most of the time the outcome is in my favor. The Universe is on my side.

So how do I translate this lesson into everyday living? After all, running a business or two is not a game. Or is it? What I learned is to do the best I can with each strategy, each project, and then let go to see what happens. The results can be amazing. When things appear not to go my way, I ask the best question I know – What’s the lesson here? I always get an answer, and it is usually that a better configuration is right around the corner. So get ready.

Where do your lessons come from? In Part 2 I’ll talk about Farm Town.