Ten Weeks: A Finite Game
“Do You Know the Game You’re Playing??In finite games, like football or chess, the players are known, the rules are fixed, and the endpoint is clear. The winners and losers are easily identified.?In infinite games, like business or politics or life itself, the players come and go, the rules are changeable, and there is no defined endpoint. There are no winners or losers in an infinite game; there is only ahead and behind.”
Today I am reminded of the generative question that Simon Sinek so eloquently frames in his book -?The Infinite Game .?Understanding the type of games that we are playing in the domains of our life is critically important. When I first picked up this book two years ago, it immediately struck a chord within me and resonated with the purpose I am charting. It gave me a deeper understanding and the necessary language to recognize the feelings of alignment and misalignment that I saw in my own world.?
I have come to understand that the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual goals that I define are finite games within a longer infinite game at play. And sometimes the pain and sacrifice that we make to achieve those finite goals, while important markers of progress, should not be our sole focus. Reading Sinek’s work reminded me of the utmost importance of picking my head up from the day-to-day and week-to-week finite focus and keeping my eye above the horizon and on the infinite game: Cultivating Harmony.??
Lessons from the Field of Finite Games
As I reflect on the last 10 weeks, I wanted to take a moment to briefly commemorate the passage of time and reflect on my learning. I wrote before that “I often overestimate what I can accomplish in one week and underestimate what I can achieve in 10 weeks”. I believe this statement holds true especially when I reflect on what I have learned during this journey. I know that technically, the first 10 weeks are over. Did I achieve the challenge that I set out? Yes. Did it unfold exactly how I envisioned it? Absolutely not. But that’s life… “we make plans and God laughs”.?
Sharing My Origin Story
Over ten weeks ago, I started a Finite Game by reframing my origin story (10 Weeks: the Gift of Time ) and simultaneously shared with the world the Infinite Game at play, Cultivating Harmony. The finite game that I started was a simple challenge to live with an intense 10-week focus on the purpose of Cultivating Harmony. Each day I strive to design harmonious strategies that unite diverse ideas and people together to create equitable communities that will have sustainable impact for generations to come.
“It is motivating to channel my energy in a meaningful way across the remaining 10-week intervals that I have left in this lifetime. For me, it is fulfilling to think about the potential impact I can create with the remaining years, months, days, minutes and seconds ahead...especially, when I remember the gift of those original 10 weeks.”?
Nothing quite like giving myself an easy challenge. However, I’m reminded that “nothing special is achieved without much labor, effort and zeal.”?Theodore Ryken, Founder of Xaverian Brothers.
Giving ourselves Grace with Pace
It’s actually quite interesting to read the message that I wrote in March at the start of this series, where I acknowledged “that there may be setbacks and there will be adjustments that need to be made…Here’s to giving ourselves some grace as we navigate the frenetic pace of the world today.” Those words are certainly important reminders, as I think about what has transpired in my world and the world at large over the course of 10 weeks: navigating COVID, kicking off three new client projects, traveling to two corners of the US for industry conferences, an invitation to the White House, and reminding myself of the importance to Cultivate Harmony at home as a father and husband.?
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Blessed to be Stressed
Keeping up with a 10-week focus of writing, sharing and working is demanding, intense and stress-inducing. However, the type of stress that I have experienced these last 10 weeks is the type of stress that I am blessed to experience. It is the stress that comes with growing and stretching new boundaries. It is the stress that emanates when you are charged to create something that has never been created. Stress like this can be empowering; however, like any type of stress and strenuous work, it must be balanced with rest and recovery. The nature and pace of life places pressure on our time to reflect. I have learned that this time is sacred and to be prioritized in order to sustain the energy to Cultivate Harmony.?
Cultivating Harmony can’t be forced
Uniting diverse forces together requires an acknowledgement of time and context. Both parties have to be ready to contribute. If one is not contributing to its fullest potential the other can certainly increase their contribution to create short-term harmony. However, I’m not interested in short-term fleeting moments of harmony; I’m interested in cultivating long-term sustaining Harmony. More to come on this topic in the next article.?
Rekindled Connections
These 10 weeks were about bonus time. A gift to make the most of. A gift to not waste. A gift to cherish and share with others. I am grateful to have shared these past 10 weeks with the world and especially with those readers and fellow Cultivators of Harmony who joined me in the challenge to reflect and share those insights with their networks.?
Stoppage Time: Extending the Finite Game
So, here we are in June, past the initial 10 weeks in what I now like to refer to as “Stoppage Time”. I’m not a hardcore soccer (football) fan; however, stoppage time is that period of time at the end of the match that is added onto the original game clock. The beauty of stoppage time is that only the timekeeper knows when the game will end. In this case, the first season of Cultivating Harmony will extend into the summer months with a few final posts and a culminating reflection in July that will invite a few new voices into the mix to share their own journeys of Cultivating Harmony.?
Remembering the Infinite Game
As I wrap up the first season of Cultivating Harmony: A Ten Week Journey, I’d like to invite those readers who have been engaging with me along the way to share and send me your thoughts about what you’ve learned about Cultivating Harmony in your worlds. From the beginning, I have shared my belief that Cultivating Harmony is about collective impact. It is with this spirit that I plan to continue to share my voice and the voice of other Cultivators of Harmony.?
As we think about the present and future life stories that we are all creating, I find it exciting to challenge ourselves to live with an intense focus on the purpose and impact that we are charting towards. For me, my Infinite Game is Cultivating Harmony. Each day I strive to design harmonious strategies that unite diverse ideas and people together to create equitable communities that will have sustainable impact for generations to come. Ultimately, I would love to see Harmony cultivated at scale; this type of impact does not happen alone. It requires us all.
As you reflect on this week's article, my hope is that you begin to bring awareness to the “finite” and “infinite” games at play in your life.?Which of?those finite games is giving you energy and/or taking away your energy? What are some strategies that you can employ to help yourself stay focused on the Infinite game at play??
Here’s to Cultivating Harmony…dedicated and focused energy to unite diverse ideas, people, and forces together to create outcomes that would otherwise NOT be possible.