 One of the very first things that attracted me to The Game was hearing this, “Life is a series of problems that must be solved.” There’s many different ways to look at that and usually either you’re going to look at that quote as positive or negative. Most people see the quote as negative. In our modern day we’re taught to “think positive” and that there are no problems, only challenges and obstacles. And this sounds good, doesn’t it? But when you’re faced with serious situations that may affect your life (or your lifestyle) it’s very difficult to see those critical situations as only “challenges”. We’ve all been taught to see things as either black or white, good or bad. This plays into the natural way our minds work because we have different minds that look at situations and subjects differently. I explained these “multiple minds” in another post; if you missed it you can catch it [HERE].  What makes The Game unique is that you stop looking at only 1 side of things and look at things from all possible angles. There is no such thing as a situation that’s so terrible that you can’t recover from; and there’s no situation so good that it will remain forever. Everyone wants to hear praise, but doesn’t want to hear criticism. In reality we’re our worst critics and hardly ever praise ourselves. Often when we do, it’s only to look for someone else to agree so we can validate ourselves. It’s always an ego boost when someone consents how “special” you are. Here’s some Game: Both the good and the bad sit at the same table at all times. If you’re successful in a particular field, you’re going to run into similar problems that everyone else in that field ran into. If you’re not good at something, and want to be, you’re going to run into similar problems that everyone else ran into trying to get better. We want the joy without dealing with the pain. Or as we say in The Game, “A human being may not try to win, but they don’t want to lose.” We want better, but we don’t always DO better. Why? Because we trap ourselves in limited thinking. When you only look at things in terms of black or white; good or bad; positive and negative you’re ignoring something very important – and that’s everything is cause and effect. Behind everything you perceive is an effect that was birthed from many, many causes. When you take things at face value, you’re only looking at the effect and ignoring a whole series of possible causes. If I go to work, I get a paycheck – if I don’t go to work I don’t get a paycheck. If I don’t eat, I’ll starve – if I overeat I’ll get sick. If I take a left turn here, I won’t see what’s to the right. If I introduce myself to someone I’m attracted to, I might get rejected – if I don’t introduce myself then I’ll never know if something great could develop. And on and on…  Our minds calculate tons of possibilities all based on causes and effects but we choose to only look at 1 option. That option is usually the easiest one to accept and the easiest route is usually the worst route to take. This limited way of seeing things as only “this” or “that” is NEGATIVE THINKING! Don’t take my word for it, look the word up in the dictionary. Negative means to “negate” something or to “deny” something; or to see something in opposition or resistance. If you’re having an “inner battle” in your own mind, this is resistance – this is opposition – therefore, it’s negative. If I’m denying that I may succeed or that I may fail, this is also negative thinking! A Player must accept both possibilities but play for the win. You can call a problem by whatever name you want – but if you’re denying that you’re faced with opposition or resistance, you’re thinking negatively according to the definition of the word. When an athlete goes to play a game, they have to accept that they may win or they may lose. Does that stop them from playing? No. They still get on that court or field and play to win. A seasoned athlete isn’t looking for the easiest way to win, they’re prepared to solve all problems that arise and adjust accordingly. They pay attention to both what their team is doing AND what the other team is doing. They’re looking at the game as a whole, not just 1 part. To begin to conquer negative thinking, you have to get yourself to see as many possibilities as you can. You must stop denying or ignoring any of them. Then you must “jump into the fire” and still try to get to where you want to go.  I’ve said this before: A parent will jump with joy when their baby takes those first steps. But how many times did that baby "fail" before those first steps were taken? Was the baby was sitting there pondering that they would never be able to walk? No, they kept trying and kept adjusting until they developed strength, balance and control.
That sweet little child played to win – conquering all problems, opposition and resistance that came its way. By all definitions, this is POSITIVE THINKING. Why have we stopped doing that? Because we’ve been programmed to think within limits; denying possibilities or moving forward with the easiest option to “avoid resistance”. Limited thinking is negative thinking. The more powerful part of our mind has the capability to see multiple possibilities. Never ignore both sides of the coin. Choose to look at both but alter your Perspective to concentrate on the 1 that’s for your best benefit. This is the foundation of what has been called, mental alchemy – symbolic of turning lead into gold. The mental ability to turn what’s mundane into something valuable. The talent to see both the tunnel, the light at the end and calculate the distance. The capability to live outside of the box because there really is no box other than the one we create. Also, the ability to acknowledge both the positive and negative then choosing the BEST positive (certainty and surety) based on the situation and the circumstances. In other words, recognizing the best cause to produce the best effect, with the cards you've been dealt. In the end, there is no right or wrong, there is only you and your Perspective. This is just an introduction to some Advanced Game for the advanced student. Until next time… Curious about the Game? Subscribe to the Uncommon Sense Adviser – Higher level Game to help take YOUR Game to the next level. Also receive news, discounts on future books and products along with early access. Join now by clicking [HERE].
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W. James Dennis
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