Last update: 28 September, 2015
"Life is a strong and incredible game, life is jumping with a parachute, it is taking risks, falling and getting up, it is mountaineering, it is wanting to climb as high as possible and feeling dissatisfied and anguished when you can't". Paulo Coleho, "11 Minutes"
Who said life is a dream? Life is a game, a gamble. It is not mandatory to participate, in fact it is even possible to sit and watch others while having fun. The decision to let others do it or to participate is up to you.
The bell that marks the end of recreation can ring at any moment and, at that point, we will begin to regret not having done something, not having given sudden kisses, being left alone without saying anything. We will have so many regrets that in the end they will be the only thing we can remember. Which is a real shame.
We all have the cards in hand, the difference is whether we want to play them or not. We will have good cards and bad cards, but it matters much more how we play them. As the game progresses, we will continually receive more, which may or may not improve our situation. This metaphor of the cards, proposed by Voltaire, is a true pearl of wisdom.
You cannot give up, which is why living can sometimes be a bit stifling, especially when you have not yet fully understood the dynamics of the game; in fact, the alternatives are right in front of you. It's not about winning or losing, it's about playing.
There are people with rigged cards, toxic people, people who cheat and deceive and who take advantage of the goodness of the other players sitting at the table.
The lefties in life are not the same for everyone, but each of us will live his moment of glory, if we keep the focus on our strategy.
We can't tell you how to play your cards, we don't know what strategy you should adopt: it's your job to find out. You have to do your best to be able to enjoy yourself to the fullest and not be left with cards in hand.
There are infinite ways to play and, during the game, you must be able to keep five balls in balance: work, family, health, friends and spirit.
You will soon discover that work is a rubber ball: if it falls, it bounces. However, the other four balls are made of glass: if during the performance you don't catch one in time and drop it, it will stay broken or cracked forever. The ball will never be the same again.
The ex-president of Coca-Cola, Bryan Dyson, suggested the steps to follow to develop the best technique that allows us to play our cards and, at the same time, keep the balls balanced in the air. His words are wonderful:
- Don't reduce your worth by comparing yourself to others. It is precisely because we are all different that each of us is special.
- Don't set your goals based on what's important to others. Only you can choose what is best for you.
- Don't take things and loved ones for granted. Attach yourself to them as to life itself, for without them life would have no meaning.
- Don't let life slip through your fingers to try to live in the past or the future. If you live one day at a time, then you will live every day of your life.
- Don't give up when you still have the energy for an extra effort. Things end when you stop trying.
- Don't be afraid to admit that you are not perfect. This is the thin thread that holds everyone together.
- Don't be afraid to take risks. It is by taking risks that you learn to be courageous.
- Do not exclude love from your life thinking it is impossible to find. The best way to receive love is to give it, the quickest way to be without love is to try to grab it; the surest way to keep love is to give it wings.
- Don't live too fast, because in doing so you forget where you have been and where you were going.
- Don't forget that people's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
- Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is light, it is a treasure that is easily carried.
- Don't use time and words recklessly. Both are irrecoverable.
- Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored at every step.
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is mystery and Today is a gift, which is why it is called "Present".
The game of life is full of powerful teachings, great words and principles to be followed day by day. There are a thousand things to savor, millions of smiles to be born and billions of laughs to burst. We fulfill our wishes, it is never too late. Let's not allow the bell to ring and the game to end without us actually playing.
