Join me in being successful at BOTH life AND chess, friends!
I enjoyed playing cribbage for quite a while until my husband won too frequently and then (for some reason that’s hard to explain) cribbage lost some of its joy for me.
Before his (short!) winning streak, I happened to be a much better cribbage player than my husband and consistently would win! Not that this matters, of course. But it’s fun to play games with our spouse, and to enjoy each other!
Join people in sixty- seven countries who read this. (Look! I don’t know why people read this stuff, either! It must be because they’re cool, too!) Let’s journey together.
I do like to win, yes, and I know that doesn’t matter.
But still, it was time to find a new game. Something that I am good at. “Extra good at,” is what I was thinking.
NOT like playing Settlers of Catan, which I will NEVER play with him again! (Yes, he wins WAY too often, which isn’t helpful for my self-esteem!)
I think he should let ME win because it’s (objectively – he agrees after the game is over!) good for our marriage!
So, we began playing chess together, instead. Now I’m at the same level as my husband. But I’m learning how to win at LIFE because I played CHESS!
“How?” you ask, mesmerized.
Well, let me explain.
For example, that day recently when my husband and I were driving in the car and he (mildly) challenged me about something, I DIDN’T DO what I normally would have done BEFORE we started playing chess!
My temptation WOULD HAVE BEEN to immediately fire back a challenge at him (to keep the power balance in my favor – see the helpful explanation HERE!). However, I didn’t fire back a sharp rebuke, because I remembered that that was actually how he won when we played chess!
Learning in chess was helping me learn in life!
“But I will NOT lose in life!” I decided!
So the next time my husband mildly challenged me in the car that day with something I could do differently, I thought, “Ha! I’m not going to let him win! I’m NOT going to challenge him back!” And THAT’S how I won that argument!
(Wait! Do you think it’s possible that he knows me well enough to use my – decidedly minor – character flaws against me? No. That could never be. That’s MY tactic, not HIS!)
Well, you know, you want to marry someone who has a similar level of emotional intelligence to you, because it makes sparring more fun together, just like playing chess together!
. . .our foremost efforts should be to help others live well
I showed this encouraging quote to my husband, and I hope it helps him enjoy playing chess with me more! And I hope this article helps you, too! May you, too, be increasingly successful at both life AND chess!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Life is short. Why not laugh a bit more? (Wait! WITH me or AT me? Whatever!) Let’s journey together.
Photo Credit – THIS Is The Purpose Of Playing Games! (To Have Fun, Of Course!) by GR Stocks on Unsplash
