Only yesterday did I lay my hands on the latest version of the Xbox controller 🎮. Not that I have any memorable history with the past versions before. In fact, i have never seen one (either a previous or latest version) so close until I did yesterday.
I've always had this flair for various versions of PES and FIFA but I was never at any point good at any. I always manage to get beaten mercilessly every time I tried playing with peers, strangers and even the little ones. Saying it like this, you might have your mind made up already that perhaps I am not good with games in general. Well, I seem to find navigation on keyboards way easier and while I am not a PRO in any sense, at least I don't get my ass whopped all the time as it always is with controllers.
Back to the Xbox Controller, I actually experienced gaming in a cooler dimension compared to the keyboards. I enjoyed every bit of it. The vibration and all only made it even more real, actions could somehow be felt at the tips of every fingers of mine as I fumbled gracefully with the navigations. It was expected anyway, I had told them about my inexperience just before I was handed the Xbox controller.
A couple of minutes play into the Mortal Kombat game I was already loving the experience while also reminiscing those undergraduate days when I had addictively installed a version of Mortal Kombat game on my laptop and I'd often play against computer itself. Of course, I always manage to emerge victorious perhaps because I wasn't playing against any real person. Only real people can devise mind-blowing strategy.
At first, I was getting beaten like always but the mind is a very powerful tool when put into good use. You see, I figured the part I needed to stay on top of the game during those few minutes of failure. After that, it doesn't matter how many times I lost in the game or how the game's been almost entirely boring due to my successive failures at securing a win. I devised strategy and I figured out every single button on the Xbox. My first attack only proved what I had suspected all along that with a trick like that up my sleeve, success is assured. I knew my challenger to be very much experienced in gaming than I am, however, it was truly mind-blowing when I defeated him times and times over and even the bystanders.
What made the difference? I had my moves play out in my mind and I simply attacked ferociously. A surprise attack isn't what most people expect, so like the name imply it usually hit the targets 🎯 when they are most unaware. They don't see it coming and that's to your advantage. It's finally strategy versus experience and you've just either succeded in your quest to even out or beat the odds. Whatever the outcome, you'll have proven yourself to be a worthy and formidable opponent, which is cool by the way as compared to the title of an "easy beat'.
The whole point of what I am trying to pass across is; strategy beats plan because not all plans are strategic. By all means devise strategy when making plans. Strategy is strongly needed if you are looking to scale in any field of endeavor. Forget about experience, that will be added unto you in due course of time. Strategy is what makes the difference in the field of battle, in the field of knowledge (while we tag some people as SMART) and most importantly, it's what makes the difference in the field of life. Life is very demanding, so you have to use what you've got to come out right on top. The Brain 🧠doesn't just exist for decorations in that skull of yours, so it will do you a lot of good putting it to good use.
Where there's a carefully devised strategy, strengths comes crumbling down. It's okay to fail but not okay if there's no improvement. It's okay not to have things figured out all at once but when you do, I assure you that it will be seen as the best decision you ever made. A decision that even though took some time before fruition but nonetheless bettered your life in the end. And it's not just about devising strategies, you have to implement. Remember, you never know you are ready until you have a go at it, and it prepares you even better for what's to come. Success is neither accidental nor a coincidence but a product of lifelong efforts, failures, perseverance, dedication, commitment and staying true to the vision.
And by the way..I learned to listen to those that said "rejoice in the small wins". Achievement is a beautiful thing no matter how little it is. So yeah, I enjoyed every bit and look forward to even bigger wins. Humble people like me don't take even the littlest of things for granted anymore. It means a whole lot, beating people up in their own turf is a little harder to come by this days, and this gets to go to my record of wins. Though tomorrow might come and I get squashed just like in times past or I emerge victorious as I did yesterday, but I guess we'll never know until then, so why bother now?
#freewrite #gems #gaming #motivation #learning
Written and edited
By Erinkitola Aduragbemi
26th December, 2020.