A Game Worth Playing

“What man needs is not a tensionless state, but rather the striving and struggling of some goal worthy of him.” ~ Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

“Consider that if man were to succeed in ridding the world of all disease, poverty, pestilence, famine, and war, what, then would be the purpose of his existence?” ~ Robert Ringer

Why did you wake up? Is there some destination you are trying to arrive at, or are you merely obliged to do what you need to do?

Frankl endured Nazi concentration camps in the most inhumane experiences to give us insights into what makes us tick. We detest meaninglessness. It kills our souls. Even if we accomplish our goals, we have an inherent need to find something else to pursue.

The sheer reality that most people are simply bored or have already achieved their goals shows up in our search for something bigger. Sometimes it’s dysfunctional behaviors. Other times it’s about getting to Mars or protesting an otherwise working world in the name of something more ideal and utopic.

For many of us in business, after our goals have been met, the search for meaning still persists. We want to find that game worth playing. It’s less about the goal and more about the pursuit. Can we change the world? Can we make a difference?

Your vision may only encompass the next milestone because you are surviving. That keeps you busy and focused. After you achieve that goal, then what? Are you simply satisfied?

Maybe you have to find that game worth playing again. That doesn’t merely happen on its own. Finding that game is often a collaborative exercise to get at your deepest desires and passions. You have to brainstorm and think about what makes you tick.

Are you in a game worth playing?