28 sep Should. Would. Could. DID.

The whole point of life is .. To change, to evolve, to grow. But somehow, I still keep bumping into people who keep doing what they’ve been doing while not being happy at all. “When life is like a game of chess, then to win .. You have to make a move”. But what’s the definition of winning? To each its own, so I guess we shouldn’t pinpoint Allan Rufus on these particular words. However, when life is like a game of chess, knowing which move to make comes with insight and knowledge and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way.

There is only one way to set up a board

“Look at that chessboard we put back in place, said Mrs. Elm, softly. At how ordered and safe and peaceful it looks now. It’s a beautiful thing. But it is boring. It is dead. And yet, the moment you make a move on that board, things change”. Every move you make opens a whole new world of possibility. I assume that author Matt Haig did his research while writing ‘The Midnight Library’. He claims that there are more possible ways to play a game of chess than the amount of atoms in the observable universe.

“And when does each life end?” she asks, while standing in the library

Well, it could be seconds. Hours. Days or months. Just a tiny reminder of how fragile life actually is. And sometimes .. Every so often I have a strong urge to do something, but I get stopped by my own mind. At those moments my mind tells me I do not have time for it, not enough money, that I am too tired or that it has been the third time this week I am allowing myself to enjoy the pleasure of whatever. As soon as this inner ‘struggle’ occurs I remind myself of the fact that tomorrow isn’t promised. Maybe to you it sounds corny or maybe you hear yourself think: ‘damn girl, what a heavy thought’, but hey .. It’s a fact of life.

The real risk is doing nothing,

Because in the end ‘doing nothing’ has the power to transform itself into regret. So when it comes to the game of chess .. There is only one way to set up the board but there are nine million variations after the first six moves. And after eight moves there are hundred and eighty-eight billion different positions. Again, I assume Matt did his homework. Doing. Practicing. Execute. Action. Flow. Act. Perform.

Be on the move,

Nothing definite, just learning by doing. Living. Practicing moving forward. Practicing discipline. A continues change of perspective. Wiping ‘fail or achieve’ off the table. Just practicing progress, while enjoying the proces and not letting your bad days trick you into thinking you have a bad life. Life and all its possibilities. The way I see it, rushing around is just a waste of time. “Fly too fast, lady, and you pass your nest”, a line that I read in another book of which I forgot the title.

Just do it,

So simple, yet so freaking powerful. I totally understand why Nike continues using this tagline. It’s still as relevant as it was 24 years ago. So .. Don’t talk, just act. Don’t say, just show. Don’t promise, just prove.

Bron: Matt Haig – The Midnight Library