Do you remember playing board games as a kid? I do, especially on rainy days. I didn’t get a Nentindo until I was seven so I had to settle for the entertainment I had. The games I remember most are; Monopoly, Life, Chutes and Ladders and Trouble. Back then, I would just know the rules and how to “win”. Except for Monopoly. No one wins Monopoly. You will be lucky if you don’t lose a friend. But seriously, I never really looked at the bigger picture. Here are the 5 lessons I’ve learned from board games.
Never feel bad for getting ahead.
The game I learned this from is Trouble. The object of the game is to be the first player to move all four of your colored pieces around the whole game board and into your finish line. During the game, you are supposed to try to send your opponent (who is most likely going to be your friend or family) back to home. I was that person who didn’t like to land on someone’s piece because I didn’t want them to start over, especially if they had a rough start (trying to pop a six to get out of home). I would always take my time and count over because I must have made a mistake. When I realized I actually didn’t make a mistake, I would apologize for sending them home. How that correlates to life is never be apologetic for striving. Why should you feel bad for making it to the finish line? When you make it, you give other people the chance to take the road you've paved. You can even help them along the way. Whether it be in your career or in general, never feel bad about your accomplishments.
What may be good for some may not be good for you.
I learned this lesson from Life. Literally the game of Life. The object of the game is to travel the path of Life making decisions, build a family, earn money (and pay some out too), buy homes and collect "Life" tiles. Have the highest value at the end of the game and win. Before you start the game you have to choose one of two paths. The first path is career, where you just start working. The second path is college, where you get a degree before you start your career. How this implements real life is, college is not for everyone just as just jumping into a career isn’t for everyone. You have a choice for a reason. Choose what you think is best for you, not what everyone else did or what may make someone you love happy.
S#!% happens.
This is another important lesson I’ve learned from the Game of Life. From which ever path you choose to take, there are always bumps in the road. Your may have chosen college but now you have to get a job just to pay for it because FASFA says your parents make too much money. You’re starting your career and you all of a sudden have to take some time off because, surprise! You’re having a baby. The point is things happen not only to you but to everyone. You have to be like Taylor Swift and shake it off!
Everything happens for a reason.
I learned this from Chutes and Ladders. This kind of goes hand and had with s#!% happens but it’s on a bigger spectrum. The object of the game is to be the first player to go from the bottom which is square 1 (see how they did that lol) to the top which is square 100. That sounds easy enough right? Wrong. Land on the wrong thing and you’re going down a chute which takes you a small or big step back (either way, no one wants to go backward). If you land on the right thing, it will be a ladder to bring you up to a better place. Now here is where it gets interesting. You can land on a ladder and make a move that will bring you to a chute that will leave you at rock bottom. You can go down a chute that will bring you to a ladder that puts you further than you were before. Life is about trial and error. You will never know what could have been if you didn’t do. You might apply for a job and not get it, but the hiring manager knows someone who is looking for a person with your skill set. They just put you in line for a better position than you originally aimed for.
Just making it is not enough.
I learned this from monopoly. The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through buying and renting property. Wow. That really speaks for itself. To be clearer the way you make money is buy and rent property so you can tax and sell to people. Its levels to buying; buy regular, add a house, when you get to 4 houses replace it with a hotel. Another way every player makes money is passing GO. Every time you pass go, you collect $200. Let’s say I owe the bank money, I lost my houses, I lost my property; all I have to do is pass GO to collect $200. That is what I mean by just making it. That’s the bare minimum. In life you never want to be just making it or just getting by. It is better when you are able to live comfortable and to enjoy the money you work for. It mentally and physically exhausting to know you spend most of your hours in a week at work to get money to pay bills for a residence you’re barely in. It’s one thing to want more for yourself but another to do more for yourself.
Let’s recap, shall we? Never feel bad for excelling and accomplishing things. Do what you think is best for you. Put yourself first because no one else will. S#!% happens all the time. Shake it off and don’t let it hinder or discourage you. Everything happens for a reason. When one door closes another one opens. You have to have faith, believe in yourself and put in the work. Just making it isn’t enough. You have to want better for you. Shoot for the stars; if you miss you will still land on a cloud.
