Friday’s chess-themed email got me pondering.

Chess is often used as a metaphor for life.  But there are places where The Royal Game falls short.

I can think of one in particular:

Calculation.

There’s no question that calculation is a chess superpower.  The more moves you see & predict and the more variations you crunch, the more likely you are to give your opponent a good hiding.

But when it comes to life, this way of acting is remarkably unhelpful.

In December 2023, I finished a seven month certification training with American coach Michael Neill.

One phrase which Michael says often (can’t remember if he said it all that much on this training, but I’ve heard him say it on various programmes) is this:

Take the next step – no more, no less – and the next will be revealed

The first time I heard this, I thought “how lovely”.  Then I got on with my day.

But recently, I’ve spotted more instances where taking the next step (no more, no less) hasn’t just been a pleasanter way to live life, but has also led to better outcomes.

It’s almost as if life is set up not as a game of chess with endless possibilities to calculate, but as a sort of anti-chess.

And that’s because life isn’t a finite game like chess.

Life is an infinite game.

It’s taking a step which reveals the next one.  It leads to options that don’t exist – that could never even be imagined – before that step has been taken.

Which means we can only ever take the next step.  There’s no other choice!

I’m sure you’ve got your own examples of this. 

Moral of the story?

Life doesn’t need to be approached like a Grandmaster approaches The Sicilian Defence.

There are much simpler, more effective ways.  Ways which don’t involve banging your head against a brick wall or analysing life lock, stock & two smoking barrels.  Ways which allow you to enjoy the moment, right here right now, while also leading to better outcomes.

If this floats your boat and you'd like to explore some more, you can get 1 on 1 support with me here:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

That’s all for today.

 - Tom