baby development

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Life Lessons from a "Bounce Out" Addict

Through struggling with my addiction to Bounce Out, I have taken on a new philosophy. Doing well in life is a lot like doing well in Bounce Out.

1. First, it is always a good idea to survey your surroundings. Take note of what lies before you before making a sudden move. Moving before you have had an opportunity to look at several options could cost you a great opportunity later. If you go too quickly for an easy 3-ball combination, you could cause a fantastic 6-ball combination to cease to be available. Think first.

2. Lesson one taken into account, don't survey your surroundings for too long. You are in this game for a limited amount of time. At some point, you can only do so much. At some point, you will have to make a move if you want to accomplish anything other than meeting your demise. If you miss one 6-ball combination, another one may be just around the corner.

3. Our moves are finite. Sometimes we have many possible moves, and sometimes there is only one place we can go. We can always choose the option of sitting idly by and staring, but eventually time will run out. Occasionally, we will run out of moves. In these situations, sometimes things have to crumble around you a little in order for new moves to open up.

4. It is a good idea to have at least one back-up plan - a move that you keep in the back of your mind until you are out of other moves or other options. You know you could move the green ball in the right corner up one space, but you keep that move until you are in a panick moment and see no other moves before you.

5. Under time constraints, we experience stress. We search everywhere quickly for places to go and moves to make. This stress is inevitable.

6. We are often under the false assumption that doing something quickly and repetitively will produce better results. Case in point: I know that clicking my mouse button multiple times in rapid fire style will not cause the balls to move any faster. Still, I often click with wild abandon despite my superior knowledge of the ineffectiveness of that practice.

7. Despite the best laid game plans, there will eventually be roadblocks that come our way. We will have laid out a perfectly wonderful plan when suddenly, a boulder falls into the road we were traveling. Cursing the roadblock will not make it go away. In fact, while sitting and cursing the roadblock and thinking about how your plan has failed, you are still loosing time. It is best to simply take another route.

8. Past success does not guarantee future success. One well-played game does not assure you will play well tomorrow or the next day. Still, those who love the game keep trying. Love life enough, and despite your failures and shortcomings, it still seems worth living.

9. Sometimes when things are crumbling all around you, it's a good thing. There will be more moves ahead if you take a second to sit back and appreciate what's happening.

10. There is something very satisfying about planning your next move while things are falling in around you. It is especially rewarding to know what your next move will be even before the dust settles.