The Mario gameplan

Just as computer games started with Pacman, video games probably started with Mario. I am sure many of us were addicted to the little man racing through the levels, jumping over obstacles, holding on to his limited lives and gathering gold nuggets along the way.

Initially, I would be keen just to somehow complete the level. That would be my sole goal. But gradually I started developing my skills at gathering all the nuggets on the way; that became the bigger game than just completing the level. In fact, the bigger the obstacle, the more were the nuggets hanging just beyond reach and I would keep hovering around till I collected all of them.

In life also we initially lock on to the level-completion goals - a paying job, a saving target, a bungalow, certain places to visit. We tend to somehow jump over obstacles and proceed. But I think that  the maximum nuggets of learning and self-growth hang above those difficult situations. We are the losers if we do not recognise this and steel ourselves to hover at the difficult spot, maximising all that is to be learnt from it, about the world outside as well as about us inside. Those are the nuggets that we will  carry beyond the level.

Maximise Mario. Life is a game after all.