It is New Year’s resolution time, and that brings to mind one of my all-time favorite quotes from Bernard Suits: “Playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.”
While play and goal-setting may seem somewhat contradictory, I am a firm believer that play has a lot to teach us about making New Year’s resolutions that will make a difference.
First off, one of the most important aspects of play is that it’s voluntary: we choose it. In making really good New Year’s resolutions, it’s important to bring this same degree of volition to the process. They need to be resolutions you actively choose, not just stuff you think you should do. Stuff you really want to do. And while you’re at it, you might as well choose things that matter to you.
The second thing that play reminds us about goal-setting is that, in the end, it’s all about the process. Again, this might seem contradictory – the whole point is to get to the goal after all, isn’t it? But a greater emphasis on the path to the goal – the game as opposed to the outcome – is incredibly useful. Take, for example, losing weight. On one hand, you could have a goal of losing 10lbs. A more process-y set of goals would include drinking two liters of water a day, averaging 8 hours of sleep, not eating sugar for a month. Breaking goals down into process steps makes it a lot easier to be playful, and a lot more likely that you’ll be successful in the end.
Which brings us to the third and final lesson of play as it relates to resolutions: it matters how it feels, not just what you do. Great goal-setting needs to be positive. It needs to both set you up to be successful, while simultaneously making it OK for minor failures along the way. New Year’s resolutions are a lot more likely to work out if they’re fun and make you feel good about yourself, with rewards baked in, along with an acceptance that minor setbacks are part of the journey.
So as you ease into 2015 and contemplate your hopes and dreams for the coming year, consider turning it into a game. The world needs more voluntary attempts to overcome unnecessary obstacles.
