Snakes or ladders: Are you playing to lose?

Following on from last week's blog about the 'Creative's Hierarchy of Needs', I've been playing with the idea that the hierarchy is not a uni-directional ladder and that the odd 'snake' in the story might slide you back to a lower tier in the pyramid.

And whilst my brain was drawing pictures of a Snakes & Ladders board, I thought about how we might shift the odds in our favour. More ladders... less snakes... or not.

"Come on lucky six!"

Even though Snakes & Ladders is entirely games of chance, we can't help picture the five we need to get to the next ladder (or noticing that a three will put us on the head of the next snake).

We shake the cup, whisper a secret incantation, blow on the dice for luck, throw and hope. Of course, those rituals make absolutely no difference, but we can't help wonder "what if...?"

The only certainty in the game is that you get to throw the dice

In a game of chance, there should be no such thing as circles of influence or control. You have no power over how the dice lands. But you can control your reaction to the score.

We roll for the five and we fear the three...

Or, worse still, we deliberately choose to 'miss a turn', just in case...

You may have guessed – we've moved on from the board game and are now talking about your business.

Rolling for snakes (or ladders)

What if you're rolling for snakes and trying to avoid the ladders?

• You sent over your pitch and, because they haven't come back immediately, you've convinced yourself you didn't get it (snake)

• A client tells you how thrilled they are with what you did for them, but you decide against asking if they would submit that as a testimonial (snake)

• Someone you'd love to work with is going to be at this afternoon's event but you won't say hi in case you make a fool of yourself (snake)

• Pack your microphone away – you probably won't do that video today (snake)

• Better drop your prices to fill the quiet summer months (snake)

• AI is going to steal your job (snake)

What happened to blowing on the dice for luck?

The more you focus on the snakes, the less you look for the ladders. Until your confidence is so low that you stop throwing the dice all together.

You wouldn't do this on a board game, but in (the game of) life...?

If you don't roll the dice, you remove the risk. You remove the reward. You relinquish all control and influence. If you don't roll the dice, you lose.

Failure vs opportunity

I've talked about this before too.

The game is yours to play. The story is yours to write.

Every time you throw the dice, you begin a new chapter.

And wherever it lands, you have a choice – is it a ladder, or is it a snake?

• Snakes are as much opportunities as they are failures

• Ladders are as much failures as they are opportunities

The only difference is the choice you make.

What are you rolling for?

(PS Think back – have you ever won a game of Snakes & Ladders without sliding down a snake at least once?)

Mark Franklin is The Four Fears® Guy: an award-winning transformational mindset coach, speaker and author working with creative professionals and small business owners who are ready to close the gap between the business they have and the business they actually deserve.