By Rusty Potter
Life is not checkers. It is chess.
Too many of us approach life as checkers – simple, reactive, and based only on what’s right in front of us. In checkers, every piece moves the same way. You jump when the opportunity comes, and you hope you don’t get jumped first. It’s fast, predictable, and straightforward. But life? Life is far more complex than that.
Life is chess.
In chess, every piece is unique. The pawn doesn’t move like the knight, the bishop doesn’t strike like the rook, and the queen holds a power that must be used wisely. In the same way, each of us is created with different gifts, talents, and goals. We can’t live life as though everyone’s journey looks the same. To succeed, you must know your position and use your abilities with strategy and purpose.
In checkers, the goal is quick wins. In chess, the goal is lasting victory. And victory doesn’t come from one or two moves – it comes from thinking several moves ahead. That’s why life requires discipline, foresight, and wisdom. You cannot afford to live only for today. You have to ask yourself: How will this decision affect me tomorrow? Where will this move lead me in five years?
Some people lose in life because they play it like a game of checkers. They want everything fast. They want progress without patience, success without sacrifice, rewards without responsibility. But chess teaches us that sometimes you have to give up a piece now to win the game later. Sometimes you must endure temporary loss for permanent gain. That’s the power of having a strategy.
Consider great leaders and achievers in history. They didn’t play checkers. They were not just reacting to what life threw at them. They played chess. They planned. They prepared. They understood timing. They looked beyond the moment and envisioned the future. That is why their impact lasts long after they are gone.
Life will test you. There will be setbacks, obstacles, and opponents who seem stronger than you. You don’t have to start with the power to finish great. You just have to keep advancing, one wise move at a time.
Start living as though life is chess. Think ahead. Be patient. Make every move count.
Because when you play life like chess, you stop being a victim of the moment, and you become the master of your destiny.
