I've got a dirty secret...

I have a dirty secret.

I love the LinkedIn Queens game. 😬

Every single day, I take a moment to log in and play it. I've got a 61 day streak going. 🤷‍♂️
(I did miss a day, but I'd banked a few wins so linkedin let it slide.)

I push myself to solve it as fast as I can. Sometimes (like yesterday), I crush it. Other days, I'm way above the daily average. It feels like a microcosm of life. It's nice to push myself. It's nice to "win". The losing matters too, and not just because winning wouldn't feel the same if I didn't lose.

You see, there's a deeper level at play (you knew I wouldn't email you just to talk about Queens, right?).

If I never lost (which I view as getting above the daily average), I would get attached to the idea of never losing. I've seen it play out. I start putting pressure on myself to keep it up. When that happens, I start playing — not to win — but not to lose. Soon the enjoyment disappears.

When you're playing not to lose, you've got everything to lose and very little to gain.

When you're playing to win, life feels different.

They say offense wins games and defense wins championships.
But in life, if you're only playing defense and not offense, you may win on paper while losing something far more important — joie de vivre.

Where in your life are you playing not to lose?

Remember — you got this.