Can a Game Positively Affect Your Life Balance?
Even though we’re in the midst of the busy holiday season, it’s still useful to think about how you balance your days, weeks, months, or life. What does the word “balance” conjure up for you? Some of us might laugh and say,
“Balance! What balance?” or
“There’s no such thing as balance, at least not in my lifetime.”
Or, “Balance is neither achievable nor desirable.”
Do any of these resonate with you? I know you have a lot on your plate with navigating work, family, self-care (yes, self-care!), gatherings, carpooling, organizing, and a host of other responsibilities, obligations, and hats that you wear.
We each have a unique relationship to balance and what it means. For me, I’ve come to appreciate that there are times when my life feels more in sync and times when it definitely feels less so. I’ve always been hyperaware of altering the mix and focus of my life to create a combination that feels right. Is my balance always good? No, of course not. However, it has been a priority and consideration from the time I was very young.
Recently, I was remembering that as a kid, I used to play the board game, Careers. Do you remember it? While I don't recall all of the rules, I do remember the premise. Each player had a secret formula they created. It was comprised of 60 points that you could divvy up any way you liked into the categories Fame, Fortune, and Happiness. You would move around the game board collecting points in the various categories. When your points matched your formula, you’d win.
Before writing this post, I researched a bit more about the game. The funny thing is I incorrectly remembered the categories as Fame, Money (instead of Fortune), and Love (instead of Happiness). My memory was almost right, but not exactly.
Anyway, here’s the intriguing part. This was a game that I played starting at age five or six. Every time I played, I always created the same secret formula. Can you guess what it was? I used 20-20-20, equally dividing the points between Fame, Fortune, and Happiness. Even as a young kid, I was thinking about life balance. As I look back, it seems like my “Careers” formula has manifested into an even balance in these areas. Who knew that an innocent childhood game could have such a profound effect on my life?
Whether you played Careers as a kid or not, thought about balance or not, or feel like the idea of balance is completely out of reach, you can alter your mix at any time. Developing an awareness of your priorities and whether those align with your choices is the next step. What do you want more or less of? Where are you feeling overwhelmed? What will help you feel less overwhelmed?
As we wrap up one year and enter a new one and decade, what changes are you considering? What will help you move more towards the balance that you desire? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!
