Monday, March 05, 2007

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again!

Ever since the early 90s, Microsoft has included the game Minesweeper in its Microsoft Windows package. I can remember playing this game back when I bought my first new computer running Windows 3.1. Over the years, I have played this game probably many hundreds of times. The object of this game is to locate all the landmines without exploding a single one. If you blow one up, you die and the game is over.

I have never won this game...ever!

I guess you should be asking me as to why I even bother returning for one more stab at the game. Maybe you should question my penchant for wasting so much time when, in fact, I could be doing something more useful with my time such as accomplishing a heck of a lot more in life. . So…what drives me to continue to try to succeed at this game?

What is my problem????

I think it just bugs the heck out of me that a simple game such as Minesweeper can manage to get the better of me. My family can’t get the better of me, my friends can’t get the better of me, my juvenile delinquent students can’t get the better of me and even my neighbour can’t get the better of me but Minesweeper? … Oh yah, it gets the better of me!

Yah, I know… I have to get a life!

Actually I do have a life but I have no doubt that if Minesweeper wasn’t in it, I would be more successful and accomplish a heck of a lot more! So…What do I have to do to rehabilitate myself from the addiction of this game? Well, for starters, I have to uninstall this game from all my computers. Secondly, I have to find a replacement in life to playing this confounded game. Is there a Minesweeper Anonymous support program out there?

Joking aside, I am really not THAT addicted with the game and as a matter of fact I don't actually play it all the time but it does bother me that I have never won it.

You often hear people quote the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” when they try to encourage others to not quit at something and yet, is that always the best advice? Maybe in my situation, the proper piece of advice should be “Quit while you are ahead.” All too often we get tend to get caught up in the irrelevant things of life to the point where it becomes a thorn in our flesh and a gross waste of time.

So…Maybe we should know when “enough is enough” and walk away from things that are unattainable and irrelevant. For me, winning Minesweeper is both unattainable and irrelevant!

I want to spend more time on things that matter more in life. I want to attain goals and succeed in areas of my life that have remained stagnant for too long. I am halfway through my life and I have yet to accomplish goals and dreams which I have had for years…

Who of you are thinking…"The guy is going through a midlife crisis!” ? Well, it is not really that bad… yet! I still have yet to crave a red Ferrari or desire to climb Mount Everest! I just think that regardless of age, we should use our time wisely and fill it with meaningful things and surround ourselves with loving and supportive people.

So...”Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today” and enjoy a fulfilling life!

So…I am out of here! … I have to go finish off my computer game of Warlords. This is the millionth time I have played it in the past twenty years and I have won every time!

Cheers!

10 comments:

Janice Thomson said...

I laughed when I read this Dave..had the same thoughts when I couldn't win a particular breakout game...I have no idea how many levels it has because I can't get past level 23...finally I removed all the games...but curiosity got the best of me and I downloaded again and still couldn't get past 23 which of course is the whole point to the game...I too realized how silly it was to let a mere game almost become an addiction...I only play it once in a while now... and have not yet gone past 23. LOL...thank goodness I spend most of my time writing poetry and painting...much more entertaining and productive in the end...

none said...

I've played mine sweeper since about 91 and I've never won either.

It pisses me off too.

Jo said...

Okay, so now I have a new challenge. I've never played this game before.

My family may not see me for a while. Hey, I'll let you know if I win...:-)

Cheers,
Josie

Jazz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jazz said...

I want to spend more time on things that matter more in life. I want to attain goals and succeed in areas of my life that have remained stagnant for too long.

Well Dave, in that case leave off the Minesweeper and start playing Collapse! ;-p

Oh, and I deleted the previous comment because there were two spelling mistakes and I'm totally anal about spelling and grammar. Sorry.

Becky Wolfe said...

Ah Dave's "movin on uuup". I get into game 'phases' now and then too. I discovered this website called Segmation (online paint by number) It addicted me so much for a while that I got shoulder & neck pain from playing so intensely.

Glad you are taking a closer look as to what you want to count in the next half of your life (hey, what's wrong with wanting to climb Everest??)

CS said...

Minesweeper is not winnable because there is no way to cheat on it. Give me an old-fashioned game of Battleship anyday - you can move those little buggers all over the board. And if wanting to live life fully means you're haing a mid-life crisis, embrace it! That's a crisis worth having.

Cheryl said...

I can't play the easiest of games. I'm missing a gene! So, when I do try one and don't get it, I move on. I save my frustrations for other things!

I wanted to stop by to say hi. Seems like I was gone forever! I have a lot of catching up to do.

Dave said...

HI Janice! I sometimes think that games are designed not to be won!

Hi Hammer... One day we will succeed!!!

Hi Josie... You are going to hate me for encouraging you! LOL

Jazz!!! Collapse! Now THERE's another great game.. I already got to level 10 if I remember correctly. :-)

Hi Becky... that segmation.com looks like a pretty cool site. I think I am going to check it out! :-)

Hi csl... Actually, you were able to cheat at minesweeper in Windows 95 and I still never won!

Hi Cheryl! Great to see you back! You are probably the wiseat for moving on. :-)

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