The Playing Field for Playing the Game of Life

In this episode of The Everyday Heroine, we define the Playing Field for Playing the Game of Life.

There are three main components defined for the playing field for playing the game of life.

The Playing Field for Playing the Game of Life

Let’s get into facet #2 from the Playbook outline – The Playing Field

Just for reference, here’s how Major League Baseball breaks it down. They have five aspects of the field: The layout of the field, home base, the bases, the pitcher’s plate, and the benches interestingly enough.

So I am challenged with playing the game of life in an equally specific place and a specific way. Keep in mind that when I created the outline, I intentionally left room to handle all situations when I included facet #7 called – Outside the Playing Field.

In the movie, The Matrix, Neo swallows the red pill. This means he chooses to learn a potentially unsettling or life-changing truth. He does not take the blue pill which would mean he remains in contented ignorance.

This matches with the Everyday Heroine’s characteristic of going against the status quo to make the world a better place.

After Neo takes the red pill there are times when he is awake. And Morpheus begins to train him for interacting in the Matrix.

I love the scene where Neo and Morpheus are dropped into a white space. And then Morpheus downloads some sort of training exercise. The white space becomes a room where they train to fight. From the viewer’s perspective, we cannot tell the difference between a simulation and reality. And we get the idea that we can play whatever game we wish in practice. Then we take that into the real world.

So that’s an example of how I need to explain the playing field.

One more story comes to mind as I remember Brene Brown talking about the importance of playtime. She was explaining how important it is for wildlife to play. She talked about how lions in the wilderness will play as a practice for being on a hunt for food.

Mothers and lion cubs will help teach each other how to hunt by playing with each other. They do it in a way that helps them develop the skills they need to hunt for food. This is a vital skill-building exercise. When they play, they intentionally let up just before the kill. There is a basic understanding that the game will end when you take it too far.

And when you are playing you want to continue the play because it is enjoyable. We must balance our time between work and play. Without playtime, we get out of balance. We begin to believe that everything in life is work or in the animal world a hunt for a kill. With a healthy balance between playtime and work we thrive. Without balance, we get into survival mode. We increase the stress and anxiety without relief from the pressures of surviving.

I want to describe it like this. The Playing field is a container where the defined activity can be held in a safe space. An activity has a given classification for existence. Other attributes may be further defined.

Container

Container – this is like the white room where Neo and Morpheus trained as one example. In the movie the Matrix, you understood that people could travel from one container to another. When they answered a ringing phone in a phone booth a transfer is coming. You don’t completely know how they travel, but you accept it as a known truth as something that is possible. The container where they slept and ate was some sort of vessel like a ship or an aircraft combination. I’m not sure how it was all connected… but they did have different containers.

Major League Baseball clearly defines a baseball playing field including the benches as the container.

As a coach, I may define the container between me and a client as a phone call or a
Zoom meeting.

In a workshop, the container may be a conference room or webinar.

As a speaker, the container may be an auditorium.  

Activity

Defined activity – with Neo and Morpheus, the activity was necessary training for the chosen one. MLB the activity is baseball. As a coach, the activity is coaching. As a keynote speaker, the activity is speaking.  

Classification

Classification for existence – further defines the activity meaning that sometimes we use the container for practice or for play and sometimes we use it for work or for competition. And even for competition, there may be additional attributes that further define the work or competition. In baseball, that means the difference between regular season play and world series competition.

Descriptive Attributes

When I’m coaching a client on negotiation skills, we use role-playing as an activity in the container we create. Then, the client changes the container when she performs the same activity in a work environment or container. If she needs to escalate the negotiation activity inside her organization. Then the container and the classification for existence may also change as she continues the same activity through to the end.

So the playing field is defined as a container where the defined activity can be held in a safe space for the given classification for existence and where other attributes may be further defined.

I’m pretty happy with that facet of the playbook… once again, I’m always open to feedback and would love to hear your thoughts!

For now, enjoy your adventures and journey responsibly!

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs found here!

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For now, enjoy your adventures and journey responsibly!