Life is art. There are no rules. There is no defined goal. There are no formulas. There are no definitions. There is no right or wrong. There is no good or bad. Societal concepts of success and failure are simply illusions. Life is what you make of it. 

Closed Games vs Open Games

Closed Games

From birth to our early 20’s, we start our life in closed games – mainly school, and extra-curriculars such as sports and music. 

There are defined rules and boundaries. There are clear goals shared by everyone. There is a clear hierarchy. We know where we stand compared to others, and this is comforting, even if we are not at the top of the ladder. There are traditional authority figures, with more experience in this closed game, to guide us along the way.

Most importantly, there is a strong causal relationship between what we put in and what we get out. The more time and effort you put in, the more we improve, the more we succeed. 

Some examples:

• Students who study four hours a day get better results than students who study two hours a day.
• Athletes who train ten hours a week get better results than athletes who train six hours a week.
• Musicians who practice every day get better results than musicians who practice every third day.

There is a formula to follow. There is a scoreboard to observe. Those who succeed against the formula are the exception, not the rule.

Closed games are a science.

Open Games

After we finish our formal schooling, we are thrust into a new arena. The open game of the rest of life. 

There are no defined rules and boundaries. There are no clear goals shared by everyone. There are no authority figures to guide us. They may offer anecdotal advice, but they cannot truly guide us. This is disorienting, overwhelming, and freeing. 

I think the key difference is that there is no strong causal relationship between input and output. 

Some examples:

• In dating and relationships: spending more time and effort does not have a strong causal relationship with finding your ideal partner. Those who spend four hours a week searching do not get better results than those who spend two hours a week. Those who try harder do not get better results than those who try lesser. Time are effort are not the key variable here.

• In work and jobs: investing more time and effort does not have a strong causal relationship with work satisfaction or financial success. Those who work in minimum wage retail, hospitality, customer service, or manual labour jobs work as many hours and as hard as those in six-figure white collar professional jobs. Likewise, working longer or harder does not lead to higher work fulfillment or satisfaction. Time and effort are not the key variable here.

Without a structured environment, we seek short-term visible hierarchical games for refuge. Social media games, chasing popularity and status. Corporate workplace games, chasing titles and ranking. We seek the closed structure and scoreboards. However, these games are ultimately a mirage. Short-term and two-dimensional. They do not translate well to long-term happiness or contentment.

The truth is there are no rules, boundaries, or formulas. There are no scoreboards. There are no determining variables. Your happiness is a messy concoction of your attitude, your sense of self worth, your expectations, your predispositions, your biochemistry, your self awareness, your circumstances, and your luck.

Open games are an art.

Where To Start In Open Games 

So where do we start in this directionless game of life?

I don’t know. No one knows. I suppose that is the point.

Perhaps the best place to start is with the fundamentals. The aspects that are fully in our control.

Our health. This is shaped by what you are inputting and outputting of our body. The food we eat, the exercise routine we do, the sleep routine you follow.

Our thoughts and our worldview. This is shaped by what we are exposed to. The books we read, the videos we watch, the music we listen to, the people we hear, the internal dialogue we engage. 

Our finances. This is shaped by the inflow and outflow of our bank account. The money we spend, the investments we make.

Sculpting Your Life

From birth to your early 20’s, we are but a giant wet block of clay. Made and formed by ourself and the outside forces around us.

In your early 20’s, we assume full responsibility for this block of clay. For the next 60 years or so, our life’s task is to create our sculpture.

Day by day, our choices and our actions shape our block of clay. Hands deep in our clay. Pushing, pulling, moulding, sculpting.

Day to day, week to week, month to month, it can be difficult to see the progress.

Year to year, decade to decade, our sculpture takes shape.