What Has The Chess Board Taught Me?
It has never been about winning and losing.
It has never been about being right all the time.
What it has always been about - is becoming better and better versions of ourselves.
It has always been about that pursuit, that journey. The chess board taught me this.
The board has taught me so much more than to just think ahead and strategize.
The board teaches you so much about thinking from other people's perspective. The ability to see from other people's eyes, is life changing and brings you so much clarity.
The board taught me to not just finish things that I have started, but to finish them steadily throughout. The chess board evolves from the opening to the middle game to the end game, and it's important to play steady from beginning to end
The board taught me to actually "love to lose" - because I have played over 6,000 games of chess and I've lost half of them. I learned to love my losses because that's when I learn the most, about how to be better the next time.
The board has taught me to make a plan, yes. But it's taught me something more important than making a plan. The ability to deviate from a plan and go in a different direction. So often throughout the game we are forced to make new plans and find better ideas.
The board has taught me the importance of "work flow" or how important it is to do things in an optimal sequence. So often throughout the game we have an end goal in mind, but to get to that end goal there are micro-goals we have to focus on first.
The most important thing, by far, that the board has taught me is the skill of managing my internal self. The ability to pause and respond to things, instead of quickly reacting. So often throughout the game, it becomes important to really take a step back and think about what's going on. This applies so deeply to our lives, our emotions, and our internal selves. My all-time favorite thing the board has taught me.