How much do you leave to chance?

A few years ago, we inherited a pinball machine from my wife’s late uncle. Uncle Richard was a great guy and man oh man was he into pinball. He probably had around fifty pinball machines in his basement that were in various states of operational — from perfect, to needs some work, to needs a lot of work. New ones, old ones, and really old ones. Whenever we went over there, I found myself always going back to the one called, “Attack From Mars.” It was in great shape and ended up being a favorite. Well, it’s in our basement now, and it’s nice to have a piece of him in our home.

Chance vs. strategy

I always liked pinball, but not like some people like it. Some people love it. For me, all I was trying to do was make sure that ball didn’t fall through. Keep it in play for as long as you can and that’s it. Let random chance handle all the bells, lights, ricochets, and points.

Objective 1: Keep it in play.

Objective 2: See Objective #1.

I was naive enough to think that it was the name of the game and it was the same for everyone. Keep_It_In_Play.

But it turns out that “real pinballers” play with a little more intent and purpose. They have a better grasp as to what the objectives of the individual games are and what you need to do to get to the next levels. They don’t just flip, they aim then flip. They know that they have to get the ball down that chute before they can get it up that ramp. Then, and only then, will they be able to destroy the spaceships by hitting that green bouncer thing over there three times when that red light is blinking.

Pinball is life

Ok, even if pinball isn’t exactly life, it’s kind of like life, though…right? Hear me out…

No matter how much you plan to do something, there is never the promise that it will happen. Sometimes the slightest miscalculation will change everything — where you end up, what happens when you’re there, and what chain reaction it causes.

Every occurrence — none of which can ever be undone, by the way — causes another occurrence, then another, then another. Some actions go as planned, but mostly, it’s considered a win if you can just stay alive — keep it in play — for as long as possible.

See what I mean? Yeah…LIFE.

[Pause here to assess the damage caused by your mind just being blown all over the place. Good? Good. Let’s continue.]

What kind of player are you?

Are you the type that just desperately beats the flipper buttons just to stay alive, totally content with letting random chance dictate everything?

Or, are you the type that can find purpose inside of all that chaos, actually aim as many shots as possible playing offense and defense at the same time, and do what needs to be done to make intentional progress towards success?

Here’s the thing: No matter which you are, it all looks pretty much the same to a casual observer. So, it’s up to you…the life-liver, the player, to be mindful of which kind of player you are.

Confession

I admit that I used to be the desperate-flipper-beater. Just trying to keep it in play. But ever since Uncle Richard was able to explain to every visitor what they are supposed to do in each of his machines, it’s opened my perspective up a lot.

It takes a certain kind of person to look at a chaotic environment and see what needs to happen and what can intentionally be done to make that something actually happen. Aim? What do you mean, aim? How am I supposed to….ohhhh. Ok, I get it now.

Today, as I continue my work of building up Magic Room Brand, that philosophy of “order within chaos” is everpresent. Whether or not you, too, are an entrepreneur, a husband, and a father, all you can do every day is give your best effort to play with intent and work towards success — however you choose to define it.

Sometimes you can make it happen and sometimes not so much, but no matter what, you always have to play the outcome.

Embrace that chaos and play with intent. Results may or may not change, but perspective will, and that’s sometimes just as important.

#bewhatyoumake