Snake and Ladder

Last couple of weeks after me getting quite a bit of travel and stuff, was not able to spend time with my nephew and to make up for it, decided to cajole him with some nice gift. So, I got him a game of Snake and Ladder. Least did I know the tremendous benefits that this little game of coins and token could do to the mindset of children. I could see the overwhelming cheers and smile on his face the moment I gave him this game. And so we decided to give it a shot immediately sitting on his bed, with some snacks (junk junk but little fine for him..) and took out the board, token and the dice. As we started playing Tejas (my nephew) started casting the dice and he started counting step by step and as he was doing so I could see him hungry for the ladder. Man, that was amazing!!!. At this young age hunger to reach higher and higher. It was but a reflection of life and how life would be. Many a time he did managed to get LUCKY (that’s what my sister kept saying..) and would get a ladder and keep moving higher and higher, whereas I was moving step by step, one at a time, with no ladders coming my way. And the more he cast the die, the more LUCKIER he got and kept getting his ladders to reach higher and higher. I was just reflecting on what was happening and then realized this interesting fact, “In life what you expect is what will happen. The Pygmalion Effect”. Tejas all the time wanted the ladder and he kept getting it while all I was doing was just seeing how he was going up the ladder. Isn’t this what happens in LIFE too? Other’s around us all the time expecting to win and going strong, that we tend to just see them winning. Ironical but true. And I am sure you are wondering what was happening when he was coming down the snake.. haha.. he was feeling miserable and sad about coming down the snake. He was wondering 'why me?'. I don’t want to come down the snake. That’s when I asked him, “Do you want to give up and stop the game”. He said “NO!! Now you see I’ll get 6 every time and win” (6 as in the 6 in the dice as he was casting). Interestingly after that each time he cast the die he wanted 6, because that would get him another chance so that he can win faster. But he did not get 6 for a long time. He was feeling down for sometime but never gave up, kept consistently casting the die and when he got his 6, was screaming with joy. But in the process what happened was he did not get any ladder. Reinforcing The Pygmalion Effect. And finally when he won, he felt really happy that he went around telling everyone. He was in ultimate delight, pleasure, happiness. Name it he had it. My salutes to the person who invented this amazing game, inculcating Life’s Success Principles to all the kids at this young age. Thanks to Tejas I really understood what this game can do. And how life is. “There are no failures, Only Feedback” “Past =/= Future” “If I can't then I MUST” “The greatest failure in life is not participating 100%” “Choices have Consequences” And many many more….. Play life like a GAME. Live with Passion