“Chess is life in miniature. Chess is struggle, chess is battles. ~Garry Kasparov”
Last week we explored the topic of chess as a metaphor for the goal-achievement process, illustrating the strategic thinking, planning, defensive posturing and awareness you’ll need on your goal achievement journey.
This week, we look at the lessons of chess that come into play when problem-solving.
At a Memorial Day barbecue, MG ran into an old friend with a complicated life — running a business, handling a divorce, raising children and navigating a new relationship. When the topic turned to his sailboat, on which he and his family loved to play games, MG asked, “How often do you play chess?” Without skipping a beat the friend responded, “‘I’m playing chess every da.”
Without hearing the prior Chess podcast episode, he intuitively equated the complex game to the logic, strategy, vulnerability assessment, small victories and sacrifices required to navigate the challenges of day-to-day life.
When facing problems in life, we often fall prey to dichotomous thinking — the idea that things are black and white, this or that, one way or another. In truth, it usually doesn’t have to be A or B — there’s a spectrum of possibilities along with the great variable of time to consider. It’s about getting the “right view” of a situation before acting.
When you look at a chess board, the first thing you do is assess the situation and get the right view. You find where there are exposures and threats and then you identify opportunities.
We all have problems and challenges, big and small, facing us. But just as in the game of chess, the spectrum of possible solutions opens up when you ask questions and look at all the variables.
Listen in for a fascinating discussion of chess as a metaphor for problem-solving, winning small battles before bigger ones, understanding order and priority, knowing when to give a little and when to hold firm.
Enjoy the episode!
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