What’s Your Next Move?

Photo byMichal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Life is like a game of chess — how skilled are you at playing it? Not chess, but the game of life. While the average chess player sees just one to three moves ahead, a grandmaster can anticipate eight to fifteen moves or more. How far ahead are you thinking in the game of life? Are you making the most of each move? Let’s dive into this game we all play, where every decision counts, and foresight is your greatest asset.

So many moves!

Some claim there are “more possible chess games than atoms in the universe”!While that might sound unbelievable, it underscores the nearly limitless possibilities within the game of chess. The same holds true for life. Think about it — life has far more moving parts than the 32 pieces on a chessboard and is, therefore, infinitely more complex!

While chess can end in a stalemate, life has no such thing. The game always ends, and I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you will eventually face a final move— at least in this earthly realm. Knowing that no one wins the game of life in the traditional sense, doesn’t it make sense to think ahead as many moves as possible to live our best lives now?

Examining the game

It’s never too late to take a good look at your life. As the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said long ago: “The unexamined life is not worth living.”But how do we truly examine our lives? It’s a simple and profound task, requiring brutal honesty with ourselves. The key lies in one powerful question — a question posed by Jim Rohn, America’s foremost business philosopher.

I remember the moment I first heard it in the early 1980s. I was driving down the highway, listening to one of Rohn’s many cassette tape series. His words struck me so forcefully that I almost stopped the car. He said, “The most important question to ask on the job is not ‘What am I getting?’ The most important question to ask on the job is‘ What am I becoming?’”That question goes beyond any job and into the heart of life itself.

Rohn’s question was a wake-up call for me. To ask, “What am I becoming?” requires examining where we have been, where we are now, what we are doing, where we are going, and who we will be in the future. It’s about growth and determining what truly matters. It helps us consider how we want to live and what will result. Bottom-line, the question is about the outcome of your life. It’s about working ON your life, not just being consumed by working IN it. Failing to ask this question robs you of awareness and control of your life.

In other words, if you don’t consciously shape your life, your life will shape you. Instead of drifting aimlessly, you have the power to act and create the life you want. So ask yourself, “What am I becoming?” at your job and in your entire existence.

Game preparation

Here’s a challenge: for the next 30 days, use your journal to answer the question, “What am I becoming?” Write whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry about crafting perfect responses. Just write. Revisit your answers, refine your thoughts, and watch the clarity unfold. Within a month, you’ll understand more about your life, happiness, who you are, what you’re becoming, and the significance you can create in the world.

Is it worth it to work on your life like this? Of course. If you don’t do it, no one else will! As Jim Rohn advised, “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” Where does success come from on the job and in your entire life? How about moving beyond success to true significance? What you achieve, professionally and personally, comes from who you are and who you’re becoming. You could also say what you get and give in life ultimately comes from who you are.

Final thoughts

Do you want to play the game of life well? Then, invest in yourself. Become more than you are by becoming all that you can be. The only limits are those you set for yourself.

Your life is your most valuable asset. A little effort now can lead to a life filled with satisfaction and free from remorse. You will never regret working ON your life instead of only IN it.

It all starts with you. Become more than you are now. Continue growing, evolving, and creating a meaningful impact in the world. Are you worth the effort? Absolutely.

It all starts with you. The next move on the board of life is yours. I challenge you to make the next move purposefully and make it count!