I stand alone on the balcony overlooking the backyard, leaning against the railing, thinking of nothing in particular. The door creaks open. "It's tiiiiiiime," my friend tells me.

I walk inside towards the room where a dozen people await my arrival. Murmurs and declarations of "yes" greet me as I breach the circle. I stand at the center and am rewarded with louder yeses. I move towards someone, then someone else. Silence. Back to the center. "Yes," affirms the chorus.

Okay, here. I hold my hands horizontally near the sides of my head and begin to scan downward, feeling like a TSA agent checking myself for contraband. Yeses encourage me, growing louder until they seem to reach a crescendo as I begin to crouch down - my hands are at my thighs. Huh. I rub my hands along my thighs and receive a few chuckles and few uncertain yeses. Not quite.

I crouch lower and the room's enthusiasm grows as my hands reach the circular rug beneath me. My audience is rapt. I move to my knees, yes. I grab the edge of the rug, yes! I lay down on the rug, yes!!! But it's not quite the goal. I know they want more, and I think I know what they want. Gripping the rug, I roll myself into it and become a burrito of a man as the circle's fevered yeses rain down on me. Almost, almost. As best as I can, I do the worm. Applause and cheers affirm that I have satisfied the hidden goal, and I too feel satisfied as I unroll myself and rejoin the circle.

The Yes Game is a fun game to play at a potluck, and it has a deeper meaning to apply to life. The gift of having the time and capacity to pursue things has also come with uncertainty. This? This? This? It can be frustrating to be with the uncertainty, but The Yes Game reminds me that I am my own audience, I naturally respond to what I do with silence or a quiet yes or a loud yes. When I look back at my day, which actions are a cause for celebration? Which tasks feel resonant with my unique essence? Paradoxically, the silence can also be satisfying since it steers me away from what is not meant for me, it guides me back to the center of the circle.

~*~*~*~

The Yes Game also reminds me of how much I love games. I updated my website's tagline to reflect this. Games are one of my five circles:

Framing something as a game feels like an antidote to the failure modes of viewing something too seriously and too lightly: "It's just a game! Don't worry about having to win, have fun!" But also: "You're choosing to play the game, so you might as well do your best. You might as well see how well you can play." I naturally incorporate some game concepts into the rhythms of my life. I prioritize and allocate the action points I have on a given day by using a to-do list and by scoping down a large project into a doable next step.

Next week, I want to help a few people use the gamification frame for their benefit. If there's something in your life that you're interested in gamifying, click here to schedule a call with me. Together, we will understand the game's pieces, the rules, and most importantly, the player (that's you 🤗), to discover how making the thing into a game will allow for more ease and flow.

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