Rebuilding Series: A Twist On The Game Of Life. By Marshall Lestz

Rebuilding Series: A Twist On The Game Of Life. By Marshall Lestz
Good Morning Everybody,
If you like miniature golf, how would you feel if a new course opened up with a whole new kind of concept. They got rid of all the obstacles– no windmills, no water hazards, no loop-d-loops… And every hole was exactly the same: totally straight, and exactly one foot long.
Or how would you feel about a new kind of bowling alley… Have you heard? It’s called “Tube Bowling.” Each lane comes with a pneumatic tube, you know, like the kind they use in drive-thru banking? You drop your ball in the tube and it automatically shoots it right where it needs to go to knock down all the pins. You’re guaranteed a strike every time. And if you want something to do afterwards, they have a game room with this new kind of pinball machine. It’s so cool. Instead of two flippers, there’s one long flipper that goes from wall to wall so the ball can’t get thru! Even the sides are blocked off. It’s called One Ball Pinball, your game lasts as long as you want! You just keep scoring!
Now, what’s horribly wrong with all these fictitious concepts?
There’s no challenge! There’s no effort! There’s no skill involved! We love the inherent adrenalin rush that comes with a real challenge. We actually enjoy the difficulty; if it’s too easy, it’s boring. WE WANT windmills and dinosaurs on our mini golf course, WE WANT flat bowling lanes and big gutters, WE WANT two-flipper pinball machines, WE WANT short tempered bosses! Wait, what? No, hold up, we don’t want short tempered bosses or short tempered “any bodies.” No no no, sorry. I meant to say, “WE WANT disrespectful neighbors!” Whoa whoa whoa. We don’t want disrespectful neighbors. Who hijacked this Rebuilder post? What’s going on?
Friends, isn’t it interesting? When it comes to games, we like to be challenged and tested. But when it comes to people, not so much. Games that require skill and effort are FUN. But we don’t feel quite the same way with people.
So… what if we gamify our interactions with difficult people? Let’s make dealing with rude people a kind of game to see how long we can keep our patience. High pressured bosses become an exciting game with the main objective of remaining confident and respectful. And negative people become a game where the goal is to stay positive and in a good mood.
Hashem put these people in our lives to help us grow… to upgrade our character traits and self-control. So if making these tricky interactions into little games sounds like something that could work for you, go for it! In this kind of game there are no losers. And if all goes well, it’ll actually be a win-win.
Have a triumphant day everybody,
Marshall
Keep on Building!