8 Life Strategies That Playing Chess Has Taught Me

Being a Rookie

Chess is a game that I love to play with my husband.  He is such an enviable strategist. When I first started playing with him, I felt like a complete fool every time he snookered my king and got me into check-mate.

When I let my pride take the back seat, I discovered a remarkable game that I could undeniably learn from whilst enjoying some quiet, reflective, quality time with my partner.

I found it a relaxing pursuit with red-hot moments of intensive brain-stretching — a great way to quantize your thinking.  It not only takes the grey matter for a stroll around the yard but also teaches you valuable lessons in forethought, planning, awareness and defense tactics.

Has Anyone Seen the Bishop?

I started to see more spiritual truths in chess the more we played; in fact it was beginning to be a remarkable representation of life!

It aroused me to apply these teaching to my own life situations and, if not why not, to other people’s life circumstances too.  A lot of people are already either inadvertently or deliberately playing chess with their situations and relationships.

It opened my eyes and taught me that there is usually either a way to slip out of trouble or to catch yourself and your opponent by surprise with your brilliant and calm maneuvering capabilities.

Be Your Own Knight in Shining Armor

Just when things start to look hopeless, you view your game from a different angle or perspective and you move to the side and allow danger to pass.  What a great allegory for life!

Here are some of the life strategies chess has permitted me to comprehend:

  • Multi-layers — there is always more than meets the eye in any given situation.
  • Patience — slow and steady wins the race.
  • Side-Stepping — there is usually either an evasive move or a counter-action you can take when in the face of danger.  Don’t lose hope.
  • Shifting Views — when things are looking dire for you, all you may need is a shift in perspective that can open up new doorways.
  • Positive Outlook — always try to stay optimistic and you will habitually figure out a good move to make.
  • Acknowledgments — congratulate your opponent on good moves — you can learn from them too.  Don’t let your pride get in the way of wisdom.
  • Grace — be a good loser because you never really lose in life, you just start a new game and learn from the previous one. So hone in on your skills by learning from your mistakes — nothing is ever in vain.  Be a gracious winner too, there is no room for friends in your life if your big head is taking up all the space!
  • Always Have Fun — enjoy the process, the game of chess (life) is exciting, invigorating and challenging — all of which keep you feeling alive, vibrant, polished and motivated.

Metaphors and Metamorphosis — from Pawns to Kings

I love painting life experience with intriguing metaphors and feel even more elated when such an analogy becomes a bald-faced truth.

When we can become the observers of life’s smaller things, like an innocent fixture of chess, and transform it into a fresh perspective of life, it changes us.  We start looking all over for these spiritual growth sign-posts and we usually find them in the strangest of places.

Chess is the ultimate sport of existence and even though I know the strategies have been used in more negative life experiences, such as war and devious corporate obliteration, it can also be used to your advantage in co-creating your reality.

Give yourself a game plan and be flexible enough to discern inherent dangers whilst on track, this way you will be able to metaphorically duck and dive bullets (just like Neo in The Matrix movie).  Be cunning and graceful and you will never be caught off guard.  When you are, don’t give up, learn from it and reload your experience as ammunition for the next round.

There is never failure, only feedback.

Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Positively Positive

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Why Should I Bother With Creativity?

I’m going to answer that question with another question. What better way to gift yourself than to spend some quality time expressing your inner feelings and desires?

Creativity is for everyone, not just arts and crafters. Look at how the creativity in others touches your own life.

Let Me Paint a Colorless Picture

Can you envision our world without imagination? Try to visualize Vincent Van Gogh deciding he was no good at painting and never picking up a paintbrush to allow his perspective of beauty and vibrant energy to spring onto a canvas.

Or, how about the aural delights of a classical composer like Bach lacking the confidence to grace our ears with his heart-wrenching and evocative rendition of “Air on a G String?”

The list could go on as we venture into the world of artistic genius and magnificence, but I’m sure you get the dreary portrayal of what our lives would be like if we lacked creativity or the drive to be inventive.

But I’m Not an Artist!

Everybody has a spark of creativity within—you don’t have to be a master artist or musician to be able to express yourself.

Creativity can emerge through anyone, from playwrights, chefs, teachers, computer programmers, healers, writers, and homemakers to artisans, designers, gardeners, and street sweepers. All of these people can, and in many cases do, exercise creative flow with every task they carry out, regardless of their so-called “profession.”

I am, primarily, a writer, artist, and musician, but I also try to express my creativity in other forms. This can be anything from experimental cooking to how I decide to dress myself each day—each look and meal is never quite the same because I’m never quite the same. I go according to how I feel. This is what adds spice to your life!

I’ve used myself as an example to demonstrate all the vast corners that creativity can be lurking in. It’s your job to show it the light of day in as many avenues of your life as you can. This is not something that you should be thinking of doing only when you retire! The time is now.

“When you choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Confucius

Inadvertently Paying It Forward

When you find that one thing (or several things) that allows you to express your unique self, it will be felt by those around you. You may even inspire them to rekindle a past passion that they have shelved or invoke them to try something new to bring out their resourcefulness.

Anyone can radiate creativity and beauty into their surroundings; it is how you utilize your talents, not what your job is, that truly defines who you are.

Why Is Creative Expression Important for Me?

When you give yourself time out to practice and explore your ingenuity, you are gifting yourself with:

  • Playfulness—You honor yourself when you allow time to fool around and to tap into that inner child that so many of us have forgotten about.
  • Imagination—Drawing from the resources of the right hemisphere of the brain, which is our supply of creative juice, you create a much needed balance and vacation from the often-dominate, linear thinking left hemisphere of your brain.
  • Relaxation—Make time to unwind and craft that creative time into a peaceful, soothing scene of tranquility—an escape from the noise and looped mind-chatter of the daily grind.
  • Space—Give yourself that much needed freedom to unreservedly express how you are feeling.

How Will This Ultimately Benefit Me?

Expressing your creative sparkle is priceless, but just in case you need more convincing, here are some key factors outlining the benefits of allowing yourself the time and space for artistic endeavor:

  • De-stressing—When you are in the zone, it is tantamount to meditating, where all logical and worrisome thoughts cease and you are taken over by the imaginative current, which will reduce your stress levels dramatically.
  • Calming—When you are in this state of mindlessly enjoying yourself, you will feel an instantaneous calm come over you.
  • Personal Fulfillment—The feeling of birthing something beautiful into this world is incalculable, and you feel that sense of achievement and liveliness that creation brings with it.
  • Inner Reflection—Just like the de-stressing point above, when you are in this meditative state, it gives you the time to do a bit of introspection. You can realign yourself with your goals and keep in touch with the core of your self.
  • Enjoyment—When you tickle the inner child that bursts to express joy and ingenuity, you will find that the tasks you do that invoke such inventiveness also bring elation. Connecting with your creativity will connect you with your joy.

Your Call to Action

Try creating a tranquil, serene place where you can retreat when you feel like you are in the mood for a bit of creativity. Mark it off as your special creative zone.

If you are finding it difficult to tap into your source of imagination and originality, I always find it extremely helpful to take a walk in nature or to practice daily meditation (you know, that “thing” where you are alone and quiet with no interruptions?). When you get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, you gain a certain clarity that can only be found when there is peace and quiet.

Free up some space this evening to tap into the inner child that just wants to finger paint and get mucky, pick up that pen and write that epic you’ve always dreamed about, cut out colorful pictures and make a collage, take those first steps to learning that instrument that has been sitting in your closet for ten years, or just do some mindless doodling—whatever tickles your creative genius buds to blossom. Sometimes, just giving the intent to find your creative spark is all that is needed to get the ball rolling.

So get out there and give your creative juices a squeeze and bring a little zest into your life!

Header Image by Alexandr Ivanov from Pixabay

This was a guest article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Positively Positive 

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7 Tips on How to Market Your Art From Behind Your Desk

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Don’t You Get It?

Okay, these weeks are really rolling away fast.  I can’t keep track of time or the date anymore, it feels like we’re in a no-time bubble.  But, all blurbs aside, we have happened on that magical day of the week — yes, it’s Friday…again!  And that means that I need to cough up something useful for you good folks.

Today I am delivering on my promise and present you with another free e-card and wallpaper/poster download (see bottom of blog).  If you have missed out on all the previous weeks free downloads, — check my menu bar above;  under ‘free stuff’ you’ll find a drop-down menu.  Just select ‘free e-cards’ to browse through the steadily growing collection.

Do You Get It?

This is taken from my painting called ‘Do You Get It?’.  It is part of my private collection (because my husband refuses to let go of it and it hangs on his studio wall).  I’ve been working on a couple of designs for my Spiral Store, check them out below:

Do You Get It?  Shirts  Do You Get It? Design Galaxy Nexus Cover  Do You Get It?  Shirts

You can have a sniff about all the other stuff you can get with this design on it HERE.

Unleash Your Creative Force This Weekend

For those of you dying to get your hands mucky over the weekend and delve into some kind of creative endeavor of your own — have a squizz at my guest article which has just been published (this week) on Positively Positives site:

9 Great Reasons for Getting Creative (No Artistic Experience Needed)

Here is the e-card I created especially for you (click on the photo, then right-click and ‘save as’):

And last, but not least, here is your free wallpaper/poster download (click on the photo, then right-click and ‘save as’):

I hope you have a fun weekend!