The Game of Life...the ultimate game we play

Like the board game of Life, we are chugging along in our little cars collecting people, family, jobs, a home and stuff. In the Real Game of Life we also are making decisions that form our identities and our determined lot in Life. Here’s the million dollar question: If you are being honest, are you playing the Game of Life with intention or are you just spinning the spinner and hoping you won’t land in the Poor Farm? The Poor Farm is not only referring to wealth in riches, but wealth in happiness and fulfillment.

It’s likely that your whole life hasn’t been unintentional. You hopefully have the basics in life such as water, food, shelter and a job and meaningful relationships. If not or you want more from those areas of Life, that’s your first stop on playing the Intentional Game of Life. What if you have all that stuff in place, but still are feeling like there has got to be more. You are right, there is! That is where you start out playing the game.

What if you could take a strategic approach to playing the Game of Life, would you yield better results than just spinning the wheel? The answer is undoubtedly, yes!

Let’s apply that strategic approach in your own real life. What if you took time to be more intentional with the limited hours you have been given here on Earth? To do this, you must first address what NOT do. Take a "no limitations' view on Life. Drop the excuses and the “cant’s”. Examples of thoughts that must be banished from your repertoire are things you might say to yourself like: I can’t do that because I am not wired that way, I can’t do that because my family doesn’t operate like that, I can’t do that because I probably will fail. I can’t do that because that’s not who I am. Drop the negativity. Now, flip the narrative to focusing on all the possibilities Life has to offer. Take a deep breath in and choose to be unstoppable.
Got it?
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Now for the rules of The Intentional Game of Life:

                                                    Rules for The Intentional Game of Life:

1. The negative talk stops now (no more can’ts)
2. Replace negative talk with possibility (focus on I can)
3. Play with intention (no more leaving your Life up to chance)

​                                             How to Play The Intentional Game of Life

1. Assess the Game Board for all of the Possibilities Life offers. Close your eyes, clear your mind and dream of what could be. What are those dreams telling you? Hint: Remember back, before the negative talk took over, to what that inner voice was interested in – what were those things?
2. Write all the Possibilities, the Hopes, Dreams and Goals down. Yes, you need to do this OR go directly to the Unfulfilled Dreams section of the board. Hint: You don’t want to wind up here!
3. Identify ONE goal at a time to focus on.
4. List out the key steps and the timeline it will take to achieve that goal. Suggestion: choose something simple to start with to gain some momentum and build confidence.
5. Check your Self-Doubt. That’s not allowed in this game.
6. Make the positive mindset shift required to fully engage in the Intentional Game of Life: Positive Outlook and Gratitude are key to winning at this game.
7. Appreciate all that brings happiness and joy in your Intentional Game of Life. Do that, and you’ve already won. Hmmm, that’s deep.
8. Focused efforts must be made REGULARLY, if not DAILY towards your goal.
9. When a goal is accomplished: Celebrate the successes (big or small) that you take towards achieving your goal. Intentionally choose another goal and repeat the same process.
10. The winner is the one who intentionally lives Life.