Viewing work from the aspect of gaming

Are we doing what we are supposed to do? Most of the time, we think we are. But most of the time, we changed the objectives of the game, unconsciously. At that time, we no longer follow the rules set by the gamemaster, but playing by our own rules. This is something I learned from a seminar. I kept wondering, is that why most people are not happy with their job?

My humble opinion, we are being hired to perform certain function, to achieve certain goal, and we are expected to do all these under an environment created by the boss. In other word, we are to "play" a game, with objective and environment preset by the "gamemaster", a.k.a the boss.

Therefore, to succeed in this "game" we are to conform with the given rules, and play along with what the gamemaster gives. And must I emphasize enought, we only need to play along, only if we want to succeed in THE game. And obviously, if u "join" another game, there will be another set of rules, and environment.

Now, what if the rules aren't inline with my personal values? Do I still play along? Well, in everything that we do, we always have an alternative choice, the alternative way of doing thing. The alternative may not be as confortable as what we usually choose to do, but still it is a choice. Ok, back to the question, If your personal values conflict with the set of rules, you can either, continue to "play", and try to stand in the gamemaster's shoe, try to see what he or she is looking at, then perhaps you will understand why the rules are the rules. Or you can quit, and look for another "game" that do go along fine with your value. That will be a hard one, but if you found it, you have already won half the "game". There is a catch though, let say you have been searching high and low, almost all the "game" you tried to join, the rules just seems to be conflicting with your values, then, my friend, my advice is, you should seriously re-examined your values. Perhaps you are viewing the world from one angle, while everyone is viewing from the other.

Hmm.. another thing, what if you are very very certain that the rules are flawed or wrong, and simply too complicated or troublesome? Well, if you still using another "game" 's rules to validate the current one, then it will be a problem. You see, the world is imperfect, different "games" are played on different scenario with different set of players, and the most important of all, different set of OBJECTIVES. And remember, the "gamemaster" are different people, different people has different point of view and different way of handling issues or manages situation. Nevertheless, your objective is still to comply and achieve goal set by the "gamemaster". Nothing more, nothing less. Thats how you play a game.

What about the strategy of playing the "game"? Guess you might have thought of that already. As what a hardcore gamer will tell you, different "games" required different set of strategies. This is especially true, when you are not the only player in the "game". Devise a new strategy to tackle the new set of rules, and "gamemaster". Here's a tip, the strategy should compliment the rules and not the other way round.

Lastly, do not forget about the game you play for yourself, to succeed in that, is the real objective in your life. You may need to play lots of "games" in between, yet, they are just stepping stone for you to achieve your own objective. But this time, it might be easier, cause part of the rules are set by you, your values, and of course your own objectives.

So, what are you waiting? Set your goal and let's play game.