When something feels off, try Othello
/Do you remember the board game Othello? As a true millennial, this was a staple in my Michigan house.
I come back to this game a lot when diagnosing what feels off in work / life, especially when things are changing.
Some basics about the game first:
It’s a 2-player game with black-and-white chips
You place chips one by one in your color, alternating with your opponent
If you sandwich your opponent’s chips, you flip theirs to your color
When the board is full, the one with more chips up, wins
Pic Source: Wikipedia - also, who knew there was an Othello World Champion??
Like Othello, I find life always has a mix of chips:
White chips are the things, activities, people that give you energy. They leave you feeling great about yourself, grounded, peaceful, content.
Black chips drain you in big and small ways. They feel like a weight on your mind and body. They can leave you ruminating, tired, frustrated, insecure, questioning yourself, or just blah.
Sometimes it's easy to see what's draining. Other times it's murky.
When I talk to potential clients, I always start with an unfiltered brain dump. It’s one of my favorite things to do! They dump whatever is on their mind and I make sense of it. We talk through what they really want and what could move them forward.
Here are snippets of Othello boards from client brain dumps:
My law practice is successful, but I’m burning out
I’m so excited about this new baby, but I feel anxious about mat leave
I love the flexibility in my job, but I'm bored
I raised a round of funding! But now the stakes are higher and I'm stressed
I love a lot of my life, but feel generally blah and can't pin down why
When you can see the chips, it's easier to find which ones you can flip to relieve some weight and start feeling lighter.
_________
So what can you do?
Write down your chips, then assess.
Maybe you want to keep things as is and sit with the black chips for a while. Or maybe some things don't feel flippable at all - there's too much inertia or things are out of your control.
Sometimes, there are chips you want to flip now.
You can flip with small changes...
Delegate one project to give you space to think strategically
Take a day off to catch up on sleep, even if you’re the CEO
Stop push notifications of the news
Have the tough conversation you’ve been avoiding
Measure your pasta so you don’t eat 2 plates full (works great 👌)
Or make bigger changes that flip many chips. It may take longer and feel scary, but the payoff can be huge.
Take this year to figure out what you really want next in your career
Start the side hustle so you can eventually leave your full-time job
Hire someone to help you at home
Set goals and design a team you can delegate more to
Let go of a relationship that doesn’t serve you
There's no one simple answer. We also don't have full control, nor is the goal necessarily an all-white board. But maybe this sparks an idea. Or you feel more grateful for your current mix of chips.
What chips have you already flipped? Which ones could you flip next? I’d love to hear!