Candy Crush Saga, the game app offered by King.com, is all the rage right now. Many players have found themselves hopelessly addicted to it — crushing striped, wrapped, and dancing candies into the wee hours of the night. We struggle to find the “power” candies and celebrate when we line up three or more like-colored candies to clear the board and move on to the next level. I have fallen victim to the Candy Crush craze and am committed to seeing it to the end (I think there are now over 400 levels, comprising about 30 episodes). And as I am playing through all hours of the night just trying to get that sugary high we Candy Crushers need for our daily sustenance, I start to realize that there are life lessons to be gleaned from this game. Maybe it’s the sugar high or my desperate attempt to rationalize the mind-numbing hours I spend crushing candies, but the following life lessons are ones we should always remember.
1. Know when to hold ‘em.
I know this is a refrain from a Kenny Roger’s song, but it’s advice worth taking. Sometimes during the start of a difficult Candy Crush level, you notice that the program has dealt you a rotten hand. For those of us who know how to get extra lives (cough, cheat), you are tempted to just throw the hand away and start over until you get one you can work with. As the song says, you also have to “know when to fold ‘em.” There are some boards, however, that look absolutely rotten in the beginning, and then, lo and behold, that deus ex machina of candy combination appears and you clear that board and end up with like a gazillion points (3 stars!). Life can be like that sometimes. Yes, there are times when you just have to let go and move on. But sometimes you have to play the hand you’ve been dealt, have a little faith, and move forward. That hand can end up being a winner.
2. Break the rules.
This advice does not give you carte blanche to maim, steal, and pillage. But sometimes you need a paradigm shift — the old way of thinking and the status quo don’t always work and you have to FIGHT THE POWER! I don’t use special codes or cracked phones when I play Candy Crush, but there are ways to get extra lives quickly so that you don’t have to wait for a program reload. Of course, it is rewarding to win without cheating; the payoff is so much sweeter when you play fairly and with integrity.
But there are times in life when you have to break from the traditions and preconceptions that are holding you back. Sometimes in life, the opposition is playing a different game than the one you think you both are playing. Be fair and have integrity, but maybe you’ve always wanted to break from the status quo of trading hours for dollars. Or, maybe you’ve always wanted to try “fill-in-the-blank” but your past, upbringing, or finances say otherwise. Just remember, there are some games that can only be won by breaking the rules.
3. Keep your friends close.
Candy Crushers know this feeling — you want to move to the next level, but you have to wait on friends to unlock the next episode for you (unless you have a cheat code or want to pay money). I don’t cheat to move to the next Candy Crush episode, instead, I wait for my Facebook friends to help me. The wait gives me time to starve the Candy Crush addiction monster a little, but I also know that I have friends who will be there when I need them. I always return the favor. In life, don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask friends or family for help when you need it. If you are trying to accomplish a goal, always remember to set up a good team made up of knowledgeable, trustworthy and reliable people. The goal will be that much easier to reach.
4. Have a plan.
I am a big fan of serendipity, “winging it”, kismet, magic, blessings, and plain ole good luck. I believe in it, I write about it, but I also know that in this game of life, there are some things that require a plan (a workout plan, a business plan, an escape plan). In Candy Crush, sometimes it’s alright to just go in haphazardly crushing candies. Sometimes this method even works. But oftentimes, especially on the harder levels, it’s imperative to have a plan. Is it better to start from the bottom of the board? What is the best way to line up those power candies to clear the board? Do you crush the chocolates and licorice first?
Faith, belief and a little magic go a long way, but always have a plan. Write your goal down, brainstorm measurable and realistic steps to get to that goal, and write those down, too. Keep the goals and steps in front of you — as a screensaver, on a vision board, as a daily Outlook reminder — so that you can be reminded of them every day and take action. The plan will need refining along the way, and there will be times when you have to scratch it and start all over, but have a plan and then remember the next lesson.
5. Never give up.
I know this advice is often given, but aren’t most life lessons? We know them, but we always forget to apply them to our lives. We need these daily reminders because let’s face it, sometimes life can get hard, and I mean brutally, soul-crushing hard. You have to think of yourself as a candy-crushing warrior; you will reach your goal or die trying! Know that goals and dreams will change as we evolve, but if there is something that your soul yearns to accomplish, the need to fill it will remain with you for a lifetime. Some people call it purpose or destiny; sometimes it’s just another episode of Candy Crush. Whether your goal is starting your own business, losing weight, or just finishing that DIY project that has been sitting on your shelf collecting dust for the past five months, you must never give up. Some people are so close to reaching their goal, and they give up too soon.
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