Lessons Learned from Free Cell
I try to play one game of Free Cell every day. It is one of my few guilty pleasures. I tell myself that it provides a different kind of mental stimulation from the other things I do like the reading and writing for my job.
But I think the way I play says something about my personality. For example, I refuse to be defeated by the game. So although I only play one game each day, I might restart that game multiple times until I figure out the correct sequence that will ultimately result in a win.
I’m definitely just an average player given the middle-of-the-road ranking I get at the end. For instance, if 2000 players complete any given game, I’m usually ranked between 500 and 1000. (Reminds me of the completely average SAT scores I received back in the day). Good thing I’m not in it for the ranking but rather for the challenge.
Besides what the game indicates about my personality, it also has taught me a few things that are applicable to life:
It’s helpful to analyze the board before you move any cards to see which move might help you the most.
You have to make a move even though you don’t know if it’s the right one and can’t see whether it will result in success.
You have to trust your instincts.
You can undo most of the moves you have made that turn out to be mistakes.
You can start over from the beginning and make different moves that bring you greater success.
Free Cell has taught me that everything we do in our lives can present us with lessons we can learn if we are in tune with what’s happening.
Life’s challenges have much to teach us, and even though we might prefer it if we never had any problems and everything went smoothly, then how would we grow.
Reminds of a song by Andrew Tinker that I really love called “Nothing Would Grow”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmrlGmDn9ds
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/andrew-tinker/305498777
As the chorus says, ”If the sun shined every day, and we went our whole lives without rain, nothing would grow.”
Joke: Perspective is everything. For instance, someone without a care in the world is the same person who just doesn’t give a damn.
Quote: Every success story is a tale of constant adaptation, revision, and change. — Richard Branson
Advice: Try to view your problems as learning opportunities.