Friday, 24 January 2014

Lessons from Candy Crush

My first experience with candy crush was cynical. I had heard so much about the game, and being the curious person that I am, I decided to give it a try. I got hooked! But unlike other games, candy crush taught me endurance and persistence. For me, failure is not an option. I hate to fail. 

As I went from level to level, the game got more difficult in the ascending order. At the earlier stage, I got frustrated at almost every level. I played the game like I played Bejeweled, which is another lovely game. But unlike Bejeweled, Candy Crush had strict rules for winning, which I never realised until I got to level 65. It took me three frustrating weeks to graduate from level 65, such that I thought I would never graduate from that level because it was very difficult. Other levels took me a maximum of four days. Every time I tried to clear the jellies, the chocolate candies multiplied and frustrated my efforts. I just didn't get it. But I never gave up. Then one day, just by chance, I somehow cleared the chocolate candies in the early stage and found that they didn't multiply, giving me more moves to clear the jellies. Clearing the jellies became easier. After I made that discovery, I made four more attempts and succeeded in clearing all the jellies and finally graduated from level 65. 

What's the big deal? Well, life is akin to this experience. Most times our frustrations about life and living come from not knowing and following the rules. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, there's a yellow brick road, which we have to follow to get to where we want to be. Candy Crush has taught me that life could be very interesting, just as the game is, only when the rules are followed and success is achieved. Some of you may see Candy Crush differently, but this is my opinion, and it works for me.


To wrap it up, could you just let down your guards and consider if you have stayed on a particular "mountain" for too long, and then ask yourself what you are probably not doing right. It won't hurt to ask questions from people who have been there, and how they got out. It might just be what you need to move from where you are. If I knew the rules of level 65, it certainly would not have taken me that long to graduate. Life has levels, and every level has a rule. Find the yellow brick road, and follow it.