SNAKES and LADDERS

No X-Box, No PSP, No Mobile or I-POD gaming.... Yes, we didnt' have any of these games in our early schooling days.... but we still had a lot of simple yet exciting fun....

My write-up in NOT ABOUT GAMING today... its about one of these exciting board games we've usually played indoors when we were all children... popularly known as 'SNAKES and LADDERS' (and in hindi 'SAAP-SEEDEE'....)

When you think about 'SUCCESS' in your life today, you can easily compare the 'process of achieving success' to a game of 'SNAKES and LADDERS'.

Lets check the components/aspects of the game first...
(a) The game's PHYSICAL BOARD you play on.
(b) The PLAYERS in the game.
(c) The SNAKES in the game.
(d) The various LENGTHS of the SNAKES.
(e) The LADDERS in the game.
(f) The various LENGTHS of the LADDERS.
(g) The dice.
(h) The RESULT after throwing the dice.
(i) The PERIOD while you WAIT for your turn to throw the dice again. (The MOST IMPORTANT)

Now let us see how 'the game & playing the game' translates In Your LIFE....

(a) The game's PHYSICAL BOARD you play on.
In Your LIFE : A particular PHASE or STAGE
One particular round of board game that you play, is like one particular phase of your life. The different phases what you go through as an - infant, child, teenager, young adult, middle-aged adult, elderly adult. etc or however you wish to define your own phases.

(b) The PLAYERS in the game.
In Your LIFE : People who you regularly interact with - colleagues, peers, friends and people you know.
These are also people who you usually tend to compare yourself with. These people will always exist.

(c) The SNAKES in the game.
In Your LIFE : Various events or situations of HARDSHIPS, DIFFICULTIES or BARRIERS you come across in a particular phase of your life.
These events or situations are inevitable and unavoidable part of your life. These could be situations like - death of a loved one, loss of a job, an accident, an illness, a natural disaster you are personally affected by, etc. These are events or situations of SADNESS. You might want to avoid them, but you ultimately accept them because no one of us is free of them.

(d) The various LENGTHS of the SNAKES.
In Your LIFE : A measure of HOW AFFECTED are you by those NEGATIVE events or situations in your life.
What is the impact of these events in your daily functioning - minimumly affected, mediumly affected, highly affected.

(e) The LADDERS in the game.
In Your LIFE : Various events or situations of OPPORTUNITIES, BLESSINGS or ASSISTANCE you come across in a particular phase of your life.
These events or situations are what you eagerly search, look or work for. These could be situations like - a new house, your marriage, birth of your child, a new job, a promotion, a hiked salary,etc. These are events or situations of HAPPINESS. You always welcome them and keep looking for them again and again.

(f) The various LENGTHS of the LADDERS.
In Your LIFE : A measure of PROGRESS/ACHIEVEMENT you have made by those POSITIVE events or situations in your life.
What is the impact of these events in your daily functioning - minimumly motivated, mediumly motivated, highly motivated.

(g) The dice.
In Your LIFE : The factors that decide the outcome.
These factors may or may not be in your control. If they are decisions in your control, what is your role in influencing that outcome. If they are not in your control, you just accept it when it happens.

(h) The RESULT after throwing the dice.
In Your LIFE : The outcome of a situation.
This is the occurrence and outcome of the event itself - POSITIVE, NEGATIVE or NEUTRAL.

(i) The PERIOD while you WAIT for your turn to throw the dice again.
In Your LIFE : What is your response or attitude to that event?
This according to me, is the MOST IMPORTANT part of the game.
How do your perceive that event or situation that has occurred to you?

If NEGATIVE - Is the VENOM of the SNAKE too difficult to handle...

Will you QUIT or CONTINUE?

If POSITIVE - What does the HELP of the LADDER mean to you...

Will you be CONTENT, COMPETITIVE or HELPFUL?

(We will discuss this in the latter part of my write-up)