Roll the dice. Draw a card. Move a colored peg around the board.

Life is a game with an unpredictable outcome, and the fun is in the playing. When you wake up in the morning, are you grateful to be alive? Do you feel energy in your gut anticipating the day?

What will you learn today? Who will you meet? What conversations will you have?

Back to the game. Draw a “Habit” card and see where it takes you…

If you’re trying to lose weight, track your weight each day for a week along with what you eat and drink with approximate calories, and what you did for exercise. Don’t try to lose weight. Just track. What is the pattern of the game? Now start to play with the variables. Eat the same food – but a little less of it. Do the same workout  – but for a little longer. How do the changes affect your weight?

If you want to form a meditation habit, try breathing quietly for 5 minutes each day for a week, or go on-line and find a narrated meditation that resonates with you for 5 minutes a day. Set a timer so you can relax and not watch the clock. Record your progress – how long you meditated, what you listened to, and where you sat. Just track with no expectations or plan. And when you’re ready, set the timer to go a little longer.

How about breaking a habit like smoking or drinking too much? Habits are formed when you get a “cue”, take an action, and get a reward. Track your daily intake and what you are doing just before smoking a cigarette or having a drink. Study the habit as if it were a science experiment. What’s the pattern of the cue, action, and reward? Isn’t it interesting what starts the habit and what the reward is? Then try decreasing the number of cigarettes or drinks a little. How does that affect the pattern of cue, action, and reward?

If you’re tired of your current games, start a new one. Or find other people who love what you do and invite them into your game. What do you want to track as a group?

Who is the winner of Life’s game? Everyone who participates.

What do you want to change in your game this week?

Sending you organizational peace and joy from the rocky coast of Maine.