Tweet

Are You In The Game

Guest post by: Paul Kearley

Article Overview: Have you ever noticed that it is the people in the stands who supposedly know everything about the game? They give all kinds of advice, but you don't see them actually in the game. It is as if the game exists only for them. Many will say that yes, the game does exist for the fans, for without the fans, where would the game be? I'd like to throw a wrench into that argument and say that, yes the fans are an important part of the game, but without the players, the game wouldn't exist either.

Are You In The Game

"Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to doalong the way and who will be sharing the adventure with them."



I was 13 or so, and on the school basketball team. I was never really very good, but living in a small rural community with limited amounts of kids, I was picked for the team anyway. We were having a hard year in the winning department, and our coach was doing all he could to make the team win. Every game would see us getting a motivational talk before, during and after. And win, lose or draw, he was always ready to point out what we did wrong so that we would not, hopefully, repeat the process.

I was getting immune to the talks from Coach Fullarton. Immune because no matter how good or bad we were playing, I never once saw even two minutes of floor time. I was a "Bench Jockey". I rooted and cheered, I got water for the playing team, I got the towels, but I just couldn't play. It seemed like I was being kept on the team to be a cheerleader. When we won, I didn't feel like I was a part of it, and when we lost, I didn't feel like "I" lost. It was the team who played the game, not me. Although I was suited up, and ready to play and I was in the gym and on the bench, I was not in the game.

Have you ever noticed that it is the people in the stands who supposedly know everything about the game? They give all kinds of advice, but you don't see them actually in the game. It is as if the game exists onlyfor them. Many will say that yes, the game does exist for the fans, for without the fans, where would the game be? I'd like to throw a wrench into that argument and say that, yes the fans are an important part of the game, but without the players, the game wouldn't exist either.

The parallel that I want to draw today is to the game of life. Many people are willing to give out advice to others when they have not even experienced how to live, or play, effectively themselves. I have discovered that nothing strengthens advice like experience, or playing skills. I'm not saying that all fans don't know how to "play" the game, most of them have a very good understanding of the game, and some of them are also players who are watching to learn new secrets and strategies. What I am saying is this: unless you are in the game, you are not in the game. You are just a spectator. I don't know how many times I've heard a sports fan say "we won", when they were talking about their chosen team as if they had a big part to play in the winning of it. The people that actually won, were the ones that played.

So, how de we play the game of life so that we win? First of all, we must go into each and every contest intent on playing! No one ever scored a goal sitting on the bench or sitting in the bleachers. We can cheer and shout and scream for all we're worth, but nothing can build confidence like the success of scoring! For many, scoring may be making a sale, it may be raising a successful family, it may be starting a business, it may even be facing defeat and learning from it, but whatever it is we must decide just what game we're in, learn how to play and then attack it head on.

Secondly, we need a coach. We need to find someone who has played the game well, and is interested in continuing that success through us. We need someone who believes in us. All the professional sports players who have risen to world championship level have all had coaches to inspire and push them to higher levels. A coach's job is to see potential in their players and then help them to realize it. Without a coach, Lance Armstrong wouldn't have won the Tour de France a fourth time or without a coach Tiger Woods wouldn't be the magician that he is on the golf course. Sure, they have natural talent, and that accounts for a lot of their successes, but it was their coaches that made them believe that they could succeed.

This week, let's decide how we want to play our game. Let's decide to be a player rather than a spectator. It takes more courage to play than to watch because every time we try, we are putting ourselves at risk of losing, but it is through playing that we learn how to handle the failures and earn a spot on the medal podium. I'm guessing that you will play to win!

Related Articles
  Changing the Game
  The Game Called Public Relations
  Software Localization vs. Game Localization
  Does your game face need a face lift
  Playing to Win and Not to Not Lose

Article Tags: bench, cheerleader, coach, game of life, jockey, nbsp, school basketball team, small rural community, towels, two minutes



Related Forum Posts
The Game Inventor's Guidebook - by Brian Tinsman, 2002 I checked this out of my local library today and its pretty interesting... didn't address what I wanted to know, which was how to actually design an online gaming system (indeed this doesn't cover online games at all), but for board games etc. it's pretty good. Here's the TOC: 1. How they diid it: Trivial Pursuit Magic, the Gathering Dungeons & Dragons Pokemon Trading Card Game Interview with an inventor Interview with a publisher 2. How the industry works 1. What's in it for you 2. How new games happen 3. Anatomy of a publisher 4. Markets for games 3. Games and companies you should know 1. Mass market games you should know 2. Mass market companies you should know 3. Hobby games you should know 4. Hobby companies you should know 5. American specialty games and companies you should know 6. European specialty games and companies you should know 4. Self publishing 1. What am I getting into 2. Before you print 3. After you print 5. Selling a game step by step 1. How to invent a game 2. Game design 3. Game development 4. Targeting publishers 5. Before you submit 6. Eight submission strategies 7. Contacting publishers 8. Protecting your property 9. What to do if they don't say yes 10. What to do if they do say yes! 11. The game industry's dirty little secret 6. Resources and examples Publishers and mnufacturers Distributors Brokers Game conventions and trade shows Industry publications Sample query letter Sample record of disclosure Sample licensing agreement Sample option agreement
Re: I will be away - Hi Guys Thanks for the good wishes. I had a really relaxing time and as soon as I get caught up will upload some pictures of the Big Game we saw on some of the drives. No lion GT as these parks are privately owned and they don't want predators who will eat the herbivores that they have paid a lot of money for . Saw some elephant though and rhino which was great. MichelleJ
Re: What are some fun games for small business owners? - i second Bohnanza Game (aka "the bean game") as a great game for practicing negotiating skills...
Book: Secrets of Six Figure Women - Secrets of Six Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to up your earning and change your life Barbara Stanny, 2002 Jacket: Maybe you've noticed - a subtle trend is gathering steam. Quietly and steadily, the number of women making six figures or more is increasing, and it continues to rise at a rate faster than for men. From entrepreneurs to corporate executives, from white collar executives to free lancers and part timers, women are forging careers with considerable financial success. Through extensive research and hundreds of interviews, including dialogs with more than 150 high earners whose annual incomes range from $100,000 to 7 million, Stanny discovered that ...they all had certain traits in common: 1) a profit motive 2) Audacity 3) REslience 4) Encouragement 5) Self-awareness 6) Non-attachment 7) Financial knowhow She amplifies on these in the book itself. Table of Contents Intro: Welcome to the era of the six-figure woman 1. The Queen in the Countinghouse 2. The Lowdown on low earners 3. Raising the bar 4. Strategy 1: The Declaration of Intention 5. Strategy 2: Letting go of the ledge 6. Strategy 3: Get in the Game 7. Strategy 4: Speak Up 8. Strategy 5: The Stretch 9. Strategy 6: Seek Support 10. Strategy 7: Obey the rules of money 11. Claiming our power Appendces: Resources and websites Tips for getting out of dent Investing Basics: Wealthbuilding 101
My reading log - Hi OmnivoreInk, Before starting my business, I read the following books as research: -"The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki -"The AdSense Code" by Joel Comm -"Don't Think Pink" and "Mind Your X's and Y's" by Lisa Johnson And since then I've continued my "research" by reading (in this order): -"Technical Tennis" by Rod Cross -"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom -"The Twits" by Roald Dahl -"Little Black Book of Connections" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne -"The Profitable Retailer" by Doug Fleener -"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell -"Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis -"Little Green Book of Getting Your Way" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling And I'm currently reading and am in the process of finishing the following: -"There's No Such Thing as Public Speaking" by Jeanette and Roy Henderson -"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell -"The Book of Tells" by Peter Collett -"Little Red Book of Sales Answers" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience" by Jonathan M. Tisch -"The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" by Julia Cameron -"The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Here's a great ROI

Civility in the Workplace---Is it Decreasing?

Effective Leadership

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.