1. Have a plan
No matter your ambitions in life, you’ll fail without a plan.
Yes, people get lucky “shooting from the hip” from time to time, but everyone knows that successful people make plans and follow through. It doesn’t matter if you’re an architect, surgeon, artist, teacher, programmer, or athlete; regardless of your profession or passion, if you don’t have a plan, you’ll fail.
2. Reflect
In chess, calculated risks are essential to victory. Computers calculate that after the first four moves of a chess game, there are 4,865,609 possible games that could be played out. Process that for a minute.
One of the greatest axioms of life is that people who reflect are people who improve. If you’re improving, you’re heading in the right direction.The point is that without an active process to learn from each of your games, it is impossible to improve as a player. I've found this translates into most areas of my life as well.
3. See The Big Picture
I can't tell you how many times I've stared at the chess board, my position, and then fixated on what I perceived to be the best strategy of play. The problem with this approach is that I will almost always fail to notice superior moves that would have better advanced my position. Two quick takes: The obvious is not always the best choice and Keep evaluating your environment and try to avoid taking the easy path to your decisions.
4. Learn How To Read A Room
You might be thinking, what the heck does this have to do with life? Well, more than you think. Essentially, there are moments each day when we want or need something. Maybe that’s something from a boss, a colleague, or even a spouse. Regardless of your ambitions, if you want that thing to happen, then you need to read the room early.
Is the setting you’re walking into relaxed and jovial, or are you able to sense tension in the room? Is there someone new present who seems to be setting things off kilter? Whatever it might be, if you’re aware of your surroundings and the mood(s) that other people are in, then you’ll have a higher likelihood of succeeding in accomplishing your goal.
As for chess, I’m not telling you to study your opponent’s wardrobe or demeanor. Instead, by studying a person’s initial moves, it’s typically easy to determine if that person is being offensive or defensive. If this is the case, will you be able to take advantage of their over-aggressiveness (or defend yourself accordingly)? Or if they’re highly defensive, do you have the patience to wear them down — or the skill to break their defense?
5. Learn to see ahead
For me, this is one of life’s greatest lessons. There are times when I’m stressed or worried or eager to accomplish something that will take time and work. The ability to focus, to mentally remove other distractions that are not helpful at that moment, is a huge skill to own, and worth the effort needed to achieve that goal.
6. Effort = Results
If you are a friend, a business owner, an athlete, parent, student, or in a relationship, you’re going to reap what you sow. Now I realize that there are people who get lucky, but more often than not, smart and hard work pay off. Think about your goal. If you want to be a writer, are you someone who writes? If you want to be a successful day trader, are you taking the necessary steps to put yourself in successful positions? Seek out role models in whatever profession you are wanting to pursue and don't give up until you receive your "Yes".
When I spend time playing chess, my rating goes up. When I do puzzles each day, play numerous games, and reflect on those games, my game gets better. I see smarter moves, and I see them more quickly. I’m by no means an expert player, but it’s true that with practice, I’m able to see several steps ahead. However, it’s also true that when I don’t play for a couple of weeks and then return to play — facing opponents who are at the ranking I had achieved two weeks prior — I will generally lose.
7. Learn From Your Mistakes
Something that I see too frequently from myself is that if I don’t find immediate success, my commitment will wane if not corrected daily. Maybe it’s reading a challenging book, learning a new technical skill, mastering a heavy board game or fulfilling my exercise program. Regardless, quitting isn’t the answer, especially early on when I have barely given myself a sincere opportunity to be successful.
In the end, don’t give up before you’ve really given your goal a go. You’re going to fail at times, but failure is also the best teacher.
8. It’s Hard To Recover From A Bad Beginning
The lesson here is that choices matter. If you put yourself in a position to be successful, then you’re miles ahead of the person who has prepared poorly or moved ahead without the proper thought or preparation. Your choices have consequences and the sooner you realize this truth the better off you will be.
In chess, this is obvious. I’ve played hundreds of games, and when I make an error or blunder early on, coming back is painful. A poor plan combined with bad opening play makes it difficult to end up with a successful result.
And finally, have fun! Since the earliest signs of civilizations mankind has played games. It is a great way to spend time with others, learning from these social interactions, but most importantly enjoying each others company as you immerse yourself in whatever game or hobby you enjoy.
