I thought about writing a post about my new obsession – brick-breaker. For those of you who don’t know, this is a game that is on my new blackberry. Effectively it is a ‘pong’ style game that involves hitting bricks with a ball until they disappear. It has 34 levels and I have made it to level 9. Once. For someone like me, who has a slightly addictive personality, and loves to constantly be multi-tasking this game is heaven sent. However, given that I am somewhat strangely reflective at times I started thinking about the life lessons you can learn from brick-breaker.
1. You are banging against a brick wall, deal with it.
So the first thing I noticed about brick-breaker is that I lose. A lot. Sometimes I lose for no real reason, earlier in the effort than I planned. Or perhaps I fail on level one when I have been consistently getting at least to level 6 before things get a little out of control. Yet, I keep playing. I might swear a little...but I get right back to it right away. So the lesson I am taking from this, is that I am going to bang my head into a few walls...repeatedly. And no, the course of action is not to go out and buy a helmet. (Thanks to my friends who immediately thought that.) Sometimes I might even bang into the same wall even though I thought I already broke it and knew how to navigate it effectively. So I will treat life’s levelling difficulties the way I would in brick breaker...restart and get a run at it again.
This brings me to the piece of my life this works well with. I am always in a vicious circle of attempted self-improvement. This is mainly in terms of healthy diet and exercise. I do well for about four months, and then I start falling back into old habits. I am inspired by my Brother and Sister – in –law who eat incredibly healthy and are unafraid to try new ways to be healthy. They are the Jedi masters and I am the lowly padawan learner...seriously. And yes, there is always a place for a Star Wars reference. I follow many health oriented blogs and these people seem to be able to manage it. So, I will try this again. I am prepared. Let’s see if I can stick with it long enough to feel the difference. Maybe this time I’ll break through this wall.
2. Don’t take your eye off the ball for other cool stuff that may make getting to your goal faster/easier/cooler.
In brick-breaker, often there are little bonuses that drop down the screen. In order to catch the bonuses, like laser-beams or slow-downs you run the risk of dropping the ball. I have to tell you, unless it is right there; don’t take your eye off of the goal for anything. You are liable to lose your ball and then, then...well see number 1.
This means that if I am going to embrace this healthier lifestyle, I need to have it be my main focus. I can’t try to ‘do too much’ I need to go at it slowly and methodically. I should approach everything in this manner.
3. Getting to the next level is awesome...but don’t get too excited or you aim your ball in the wrong direction without focus.
Well, you know where this leads...see 1. But seriously, it is awesome when things are going well, but if I forget and get a little bit ahead of myself then I might not be using my resources effectively. I might not be navigating the challenges as efficiently as I could.This means that when I reach a goal, I can’t spend too much time focused on that...I need to revamp my plan for the next goal. I need to do that with care and precision.
I know there is more that can be gleaned from the brick-breaker phenomenon. I’m sure I could specifically reference the structure of life’s struggles and the structure of various levels in the game. But then one might be concerned about my sanity. I would rather keep you all guessing than prove to you that I am slightly unbalanced. Or I would rather you let me have my illusion that you don’t already know.
In any case, here is my plan for this week. I am going to eat healthy, sleep well and get in some exercise.
And get to level 10...at least level 10 – if the cat can stop knocking my elbows.
