I discovered the\ngame of chess back when I was in middle school. As I played my very first\nmatch, I knew I would fall in love with this game. It just resonated with me\ndeeply on a personal level. I always loved problem solving and critical\nthinking \u2013 skills that were essential for chess. I always preferred games that\ninvolved intellect, strategy and heavy utilization of the mind, over physical\nsports like football. The latter just didn\u2019t interest me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My strength has\nalways been the mind. Back in high school, I went through a phase where chess\nbecame an obsession. I remember playing chess for 15 hours a day, every day,\nfor months on end. It was not just about improving. It was way more than that.\nIt was an addiction. I was in love with the immense mental stimulation that\nresulted from each match. I was addicted to competing with players who had a\nway higher rating than me, just so I could test my intellectual limits. I was\nobsessed with pushing the boundaries, and seeing what was possible for me.\nChess had become my drug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years down the line,\nI am no longer an active chess player. However, as I look back at my chess\ngames, I realize the invaluable lessons that chess taught me about business and\nlife. Thousands of games later, I can now visualize chess as an imitation of\nlife itself. Here are the key principles I have learned, which are as important\noff the board, as they were on the chess board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have\na plan<\/strong> \u2013 hold long term goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In chess, if you\nfocus solely on short term tactics, and do not have a long-term plan to defeat\nyour opponent, you risk losing. It\u2019s important to have a vision in mind, a\nlong-term plan, which you want to realize, and you must make short-term moves\nwhich will assist you in reaching that long-term goal. This principle applies\nto life and business as well. In order to attain the highest amount of success,\nyou must always have a clear long-term plan in your mind, and you must act\ndaily in order to bring yourself closer to the materialization of your\nlong-term vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sacrifice<\/strong> \u2013\nsometimes you need to sacrifice in order to get ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my games, I\nremember sacrificing crucial pieces, in order to checkmate my opponents. I\nbecame so skilled at sacrifices, that I could easily sacrifice valuable pieces\nlike the Bishop or Rook, in order to get a better position, and checkmate my\nopponent in the long run. Many years later, I realize this same principle\napplies to life as well. In fact, this principle is absolutely crucial if you\nwant to achieve a big dream in your life. In order to achieve something big,\nyou have to sacrifice along the way. Sacrifice can be in terms of taking risks,\nor giving up luxuries and pleasure so you can work harder for your goals. The\npeople who achieve the most in life are the ones who are able to sacrifice in\nthe short-term to win big in the long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Value\nyour key pieces <\/strong>\u2013 know the worth of your best employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In chess, some\npieces have a higher value than others. The value of a queen is way more than a\npawn. What a queen can do to help you win the game is something a pawn can\nsimply never do. Similarly, a pawn can never have the same worth as that of a\nRook. In order to win at chess, it\u2019s essential to realize the value of your\npieces, and leverage them in the most effective way possible, while keeping the\nlong-term plan in mind. If you don\u2019t value your queen, and expect some pawn to\nhelp you win the game, you will lose. If you don\u2019t protect your queen or rook,\nyou risk losing them and getting checkmated. I find this principle replicable\nin the world of business as well. Initially, when I started playing the game of\nbusiness, I struggled with hiring and finding the right team. I preferred\nhiring people with less value, and this led to significant losses for me. After\nmany failures, I now understand the importance of realizing who your best\nplayers are, and utilizing their skills in the most effective way possible to\nhelp you win at business. It\u2019s always worth it to spend more money to hire\npeople who are more skilled. And it\u2019s essential to value your most important\nemployees, because if they are happy, they will do their best to help you win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Timing\nis everything <\/strong>\u2013 don\u2019t let opportunities slip by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Missed opportunities\nrarely return. Simply acting is not enough. Timing your action is the most\nimportant thing. In chess, if you miss a chance to checkmate your opponent,\nthen you might not get another chance to defeat them. Similarly, in business,\ntiming is everything. Would Facebook have been so big if Mark Zuckerberg had\nlaunched it in 2019 instead of 2004? You cannot launch a Facebook-like website\nin 2019, and expect it to become the #1 social networking website in the world.\nYou are too late to the game. Mark Zuckerberg didn\u2019t let the opportunity slip\nby, and he acted at the right time. Therefore, acting at the right time is\ncrucial to business success. The same decision made too late, might as well be\na wrong decision. Timely action also means acting fast, instead of sitting\naround and waiting for the right moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mistakes\nare inevitable<\/strong> \u2013 don\u2019t let failure stop you, you can still\nwin the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a game of\nchess, we often make mistakes. If you are able to spot your mistake in time,\nand act quickly to fix it, you can still hope to win the game. However, if you\nstart to believe that you can no longer win the game, majority of the times,\nyou will lose, even if a possibility of winning had existed. In life as well,\nwe often encounter failures and temporary defeats. It\u2019s important to quickly\nrealize your mistakes, understand what you did wrong, and continue believing\nand working towards your dream. If you learn from your mistakes, and continue\nbelieving, eventually you will win the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have\nfun <\/strong>\u2013 what\u2019s the use of playing, if you\u2019re not going to\nhave fun with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn\u2019t play chess\nbecause I had to, or someone was forcing me to play it. I played because it was\nfun. It was thrilling. I loved the thought process that went into every move I\nmade. I loved the look on my opponents face as I used well-thought-out\nstrategies to trap them into an inevitable checkmate. I loved the game itself\nas much as I loved the final victory. The same principle should apply to\nwhatever you do in life. Having fun, being curious, and always trying to learn\nand improve should be the cornerstone of every endeavour. Too many people are\nstuck doing jobs they hate. Too many people are spending their life doing\nthings they don\u2019t like. That\u2019s a really sad way to live life. Life is too short\nto do things that you don\u2019t enjoy. The end goal should always be to have happy,\nand have fun. If you\u2019re doing something that is not bringing you happiness, or\nif it\u2019s something that you don\u2019t enjoy, then don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After years of playing chess, I realized that we can learn to\ntreat life itself as a giant chess board. We\u2019re the ones in control of this\ngame. We move the pieces. We can attack when we want. We can sacrifice what we\nwant. We can strategise, and set long-term goals. In the end, there is a dream\nto be realized, hurdles to be overcome, and sacrifices that need to be made\nalong the way. I discovered the game of chess back when I was in middle school. As I played my very first match, I knew I would fall in love with this game. It just resonated with me deeply on a personal level. I always loved problem solving and critical thinking \u2013 skills that were essential for chess.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1107,"featured_media":17093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess.jpg",5600,3733,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess.jpg",1536,1024,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess.jpg",2048,1365,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-80x75.jpg",80,75,true],"goodlife-thumbnail":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-80x75.jpg",80,75,true],"goodlife-grid":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-320x270.jpg",320,270,true],"goodlife-latest":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-320x225.jpg",320,225,true],"goodlife-latestshort":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-320x170.jpg",320,170,true],"goodlife-vertical":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-320x420.jpg",320,420,true],"goodlife-gallery":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-320x150.jpg",320,150,true],"goodlife-galleryvertical":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-320x350.jpg",320,350,true],"goodlife-poststyle1":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-770x513.jpg",770,513,true],"goodlife-thumbnail-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-40x150.jpg",40,150,true],"goodlife-thumbnail-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-160x150.jpg",160,150,true],"goodlife-thumbnail-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x18.jpg",20,18,true],"goodlife-grid-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-160x540.jpg",160,540,true],"goodlife-grid-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-640x540.jpg",640,540,true],"goodlife-grid-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x16.jpg",20,16,true],"goodlife-latest-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-160x450.jpg",160,450,true],"goodlife-latest-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-640x450.jpg",640,450,true],"goodlife-latest-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x14.jpg",20,14,true],"goodlife-latestshort-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-160x340.jpg",160,340,true],"goodlife-latestshort-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-640x340.jpg",640,340,true],"goodlife-latestshort-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x10.jpg",20,10,true],"goodlife-vertical-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-160x840.jpg",160,840,true],"goodlife-vertical-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-640x840.jpg",640,840,true],"goodlife-vertical-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x26.jpg",20,26,true],"goodlife-gallery-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-160x300.jpg",160,300,true],"goodlife-gallery-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-640x300.jpg",640,300,true],"goodlife-gallery-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x9.jpg",20,9,true],"goodlife-galleryvertical-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-160x700.jpg",160,700,true],"goodlife-galleryvertical-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-640x700.jpg",640,700,true],"goodlife-galleryvertical-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x21.jpg",20,21,true],"goodlife-poststyle1-small":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-385x257.jpg",385,257,true],"goodlife-poststyle1-2x":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-1540x1027.jpg",1540,1027,true],"goodlife-poststyle1-mini":["https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Chess-20x13.jpg",20,13,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/futur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Ahmad","author_link":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/author\/nabeelahmad\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"I discovered the game of chess back when I was in middle school. As I played my very first match, I knew I would fall in love with this game. It just resonated with me deeply on a personal level. I always loved problem solving and critical thinking \u2013 skills that were essential for chess.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17091"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n
\nYou have two choices in this game: take strategic action to achieve your goal,\nor sit around and wait for your timer to run out.
\n
\nI made my decision a long time ago, and I don\u2019t intend to turn back. I love the\nprocess as much as I love the final checkmate, so I\u2019ll just keep playing this\ngame till the very end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"