I always struggled with sleep. I can remember spending entire nights up – either unable to fall asleep or not wanting to – where I would watch movies or TV Shows, before either falling into a fitful sleep or having to force myself through a whole day without sleep.
Over time, my sleep patterns improved and my insomnia left. But I still had trouble falling asleep – spending hours a night tossing and turning, before I would finally blackout. Better than before but far from great.
This led me to try to play TETRIS before I went to sleep every night as a method of visual overwriting – a way to clear my mind. (A recommendation found in Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss.)
TETRIS worked – I was falling asleep faster and faster. As an added bonus: I loved the game. (So much so, that my Girlfriend even got me a mini-arcade version of the game.)
Beyond the fun of it and the way it improved my sleep, it also taught me a few things:
1 ) The easiest way to lose is to be waiting for a certain piece.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of watching your screen fill up piece by piece as you wait in vain for the one piece that would clear four lines. Except, when it doesn’t come, there’s never a way to win.
In life, most people are waiting for their certain piece – the right partner, the right job, the right opportunity – and they wait. and wait. and wait. Eventually, the years have stacked up on their screen and the game is over. They never asked that girl out. They never took that vacation to see the Northern Lights. They never started that business or wrote that book or learned to play guitar. They waited for a certain piece and it never came.
The solution? Keep your options open. I don’t want to say lower your standards – but at least lower your expectations. Perfection doesn’t exist. You won’t find the perfect partner or suddenly find yourself with enough spare time and willpower to pump out your manuscript. Make do with the pieces your given. You’ll be surprised – these tend to work out better than you would expect, possibly better than your perfect piece. Keeping your options open to eliminate the need for a perfect piece altogether.
2 ) The second easiest way to lose is to not be paying attention.
TETRIS is a ruthless douchebag of a game. One heartbeat you’re going for your high score, the next the screen declares Game Over. In TETRIS one slip-up compounds into another. The pieces pile up. Suddenly you need three ‘perfect’ pieces to survive. The pieces keep on piling up. The Game is over. You dropped the ball.
Taking your eyes off the screen for the shortest time, or not seeing the better move, or even the simplest slip of your fingers – these can all cost you the game.
Life isn’t very different. You miss a cry for help, or you trust the wrong person, or you forget about an obligation – these can all cost you dearly. You win by paying attention. You lose by not paying attention. That simple.
3 ) Solutions abound if you keep the game going long enough.
You have two lines to go until its Game Over. You keep clearing the second one until things fall right and you can clear the third, and then the fourth, and on and on and on. The screen that a moment ago was fitted with the bright pieces of defeat is now empty. You just need to watch the bottom line. You survived long enough for a solution. Congratulations.
The temptation to give in is easy. If it wasn’t, people wouldn’t end their lives, the wouldn’t give up on their goals, they wouldn’t leave a relationship without a fight, they wouldn’t abandon their business idea, the world wouldn’t be full of half-finished first drafts or vacant blogs.
You cannot help but wonder what would have happened if they had kept it together for just one more week, one more day, one more hour. Most people give up. Opportunity and solutions come to those who don’t.
You can overcome any obstacle – you just need to keep the game going.
4 ) There is no finish line. You win because you get to keep playing.
“Survival is triumph enough.” – Harry Crews (A quote I have had on my wall for a couple of years.)
Most people think that there are finish lines in life – points where you win and can call it a game, or where you lose and its over. They’re wrong. There is only one finish line – its called Death. Not in rush to get there? Me either.
Every day you approach that finish line – so when sh*t hits the fan, just that. It’s not over. The only finish line is Death. You’re going to reach it and so is everyone you love and admire. Keep playing while you can.
The pieces pile up and the screen will flash Game Over. You won’t get a second round. Enjoy the game while you can.
Zachariah Lewis 