Your life is like a video game.

Let me explain.

I am by no means an expert in video games. 

In fact, I have only really played one video game my whole life. 

And yet, I think my analogy will make perfect sense to you. 

I used to love Super Mario Brothers #3 specifically, and it’s this video game that I will use in order to explain the concept of this narrative.

Could you imagine living your life with a narrative that frames your existence as a game to be played? 

Could that be a positive approach?

What is possible for you when you frame all of the perceived challenges and obstacles you encounter as necessities for you to experience within this game of life? 

In this narrative, I am suggesting a new perspective on how to view your current life. 

This perspective says, it is all a game. 

You are the player. 

You have the choice to either stay as you are or progress through the action packed game of life. 

What sounds like more fun? 

A belief that you could mess up the game (and that keeps you out of the game) or a perspective that says it’s all part of the game and puts you in the court. 

Let’s break down the game of life. 

#1 Everyone starts at the beginning 

We all start at the beginning of the video game (and life). 

As with any new start, we really have no idea what we are doing. 

We have the most limited amount of skills, tricks, and toys to play with. 

We are learning by trial and error. We are learning by observing and through experience. 

And yet, there is something so lovely about everyone starting at the beginning of the game. 

What this means is that regardless of who we are, where we are from, and the circumstances of our lives, we all start the game of life at our very own beginning.  

In the example of Super Mario Brothers #3, Mario always starts as a little version of himself, quite literally and figuratively. 

And in the same way, we all begin both literally and figuratively as little versions of ourselves. 

#2 There are different levels to the game

The video game is designed to take you through an action packed course that moves through different levels (or worlds) of the game.

Each level has a definite starting point and end point. 

One could never confuse one level from another as everything changes around you. 

Not only does everything change around you but as you progress through the game, you change.

The challenges increase. 

The game becomes harder and more rewarding simultaneously.

Within Super Mario Brothers #3 each level was a world. 

As you play the game you move through the different worlds which are visually distinct and different. 

And, if you fail in your quest to progress you either start your current level over again or the game finishes and it’s over.

How do you know when you have moved into a new level in your life? 

The world around you changes. 

It is no longer the same. 

And, what this really means is that you no longer experience your life in the same manner. 

New levels can show up in many different ways. 

We can experience:

• new life roles
• transformed perspectives
• embarking on a new career
• moving to a different place
• studying and learn a skill
• upleveling our health or financial status
• creating new networks and relationships

The point is that once you enter a new level or world, life is not the same as it was before. 

#3 You have free will 

While the game is set up to move you through a course and onto new levels, you have free will. 

All of us do. 

We can choose to stay at the same level or in the same place (literally and figuratively) until the game is over. 

In fact, time will simply run out. 

Your time will simply run out. 

Nothing forces you to move through the levels at all. 

It is entirely up to you as to how you use your time while playing both the video game and the game of life. 

How do you know if you are choosing to stay at the same level? 

You remain the same. 

Your environment remains the same. 

And your perspective, how you see the world, remains the same. 

#4 New levels equal new possibilities 

One of my favorite aspects of Super Mario Brothers #3 was the fact that as you moved through a specific level (or world) you would gain new abilities and develop talents that would have previously been unheard of in lower levels of the game.

In the example of Mario (who starts from a little version of himself) as you move through the game you watch him become a big version of himself. 

All of a sudden he develops the ability to fly and collect coins (attempting to fly would have been something that would have killed him in earlier versions of the game).

He pushes forward and he can swim underwater. 

The amount of tricks, tools, and props he has at his disposal continue to increase as he moves through the worlds. 

Each one of these levels (or worlds) find Mario achieving what would have previously killed him. 

In the same manner, if one chooses to move through to a new level in one’s life….

It will feel harder at first. 

The challenges increase, the danger is new, 

And we often find ourselves in situations we have never been in before. 

It is through the experiences that we face that we develop new strengths, abilities, and capabilities which lead to our overall expansive nature. 

New levels in our lives literally means growth and creation. 

Sure, at first it feels completely uncomfortable and scary. 

We’ve never been at this level (or world) before. 

And yet, that is part of the game of life (should we choose to accept its invitation). 

#5 The worst thing that can happen is starting over again

As we already discussed, in both the video game and the in game of life, time moves forward whether you engage into action or decide to wait it out. 

This is your free will.

For those that do attempt to embark on a new level (or world) in their life, the worst thing that can happen is that you do not conquer that level (at first) and are forced to start over again. 

You too have free will in the choice to continue to play the game at that level. 

And what normally happens is that with practice and through experience we learn, grow, adapt and master that level of the game (and life). 

When taken in the context of a game, failure represents opportunity. 

It is in the action of moving through the game that one becomes faster, smarter, and more adept at whatever challenges one will face. 

None of that can happen unless you make the decision to move forward in the game no matter what. 

In the case of Super Mario Brothers #3, part of the fun was earning “extra” lives that you could then use as needed in order to continue playing at a specific level if you did not succeed in your attempt. The more you play, the more chances you have at acquiring extra lives. 

In the game of life, it is a very similar concept. 

The more action you take and progress through the game of life, the stronger the chances that you will live several lives within your lifetime. 

Or, several lifetimes within your life. 

#6 Don’t take it so seriously, it’s just a game

I remember watching my two younger brothers playing a video game. 

They must have been 4 and 9 years old at the time, and I was around 21 years old.

The little one lost the game and cried as if his life had just ended. 

He was so upset, so disappointed, and so angry at both his older brother and himself. 

It was as if he did not yet understand that he would have another opportunity to play this video game. 

That it wasn’t in fact, over. 

That he could play the game over and over again. 

In fact, he did not even need his older brother to play with him. 

The game was designed to support one player only as well. 

And, what a metaphor that is for the game of life. 

Play the game as much as you want.

Live the experiences that you are inspired to have. 

And remember, you are playing your own game. 

Whatever happens, you can shift course, select a new level and aim, or simply stay where you are. 

Final Thoughts

The game of life and how to play it is the title of a book written by Florence Scovell Shin in 1925.

When I first saw the title I remember thinking, 

How curious is it that a woman in 1925 had the vision that life was like a game that was meant to be played? 

I certainly had never thought of it that way before. 

It took me over three decades before I discovered this mindset and approach to life. 

What this new perspective did was give me freedom and permission. 

It allowed me to lighten up. 

And, the game never ends. 

As I have moved through levels of my life that I too once believed to be unimaginable, I now stand and face new levels and worlds before me too. 

I decided that the game of my life would be one of playing my hand to the best of my ability.

And, recognizing that my ability is limitless and endless. 

Is it scary to start something new? 

It can be. 

Yet what is scarier to me is missing out on the game of life and playing it to its fullest potential. 

Now for you: 

Imagine approaching life as a game meant to be played (and enjoyed)? 

Imagine approaching life as a game designed to move you through levels and new worlds?

Imagine approaching life as a game and not taking your success or failures so seriously? Even failure is not fatalistic, it merely shows you what not to do again and it often reveals new opportunities. 

Imagine that within each new level you face brand new environments and challenges, yet you are also equipped with new abilities and skills designed to empower you to achieve feats previously unimaginable. 

Imagine that in order to unlock new abilities and skills, you merely have to play the game knowing that it is designed for you to be able to complete it and move through it successfully? 

Life is like a video game. 

You are the player. 

You have the choice to remain where you are or to engage in the adventures that await you as you progress through the course. 

New levels might feel scary at first. 

The game is designed this way. 

It is also designed to give you all of the tools required to progress. 

And, no matter what happens, we have the power to emerge from the game, having played it to the best of our ability and discovering our new found capabilities. 

You see, here is the deal:

In order to move through the game of life and reach to new levels (and worlds), we require new narratives being created and implemented in our life. 

Narratives that support us creating, expanding, reaching, and upleveling. 

What is your next level? 

Will you play the game of life? 

I know I am playing mine. 

With love,

Marissa