As a kid I had a competitive mean streak in me that would challenge any professional athletes. Losing in a game of Monopoly was simply not an option. If I felt like my chances at winning, via bankrupting my opponents, had been nixed, I simply flipped the board. Literally. Pieces, money, properties and cards went soaring.
As you can imagine, finding people to play Monopoly with eventually became pretty difficult.
I'm happy to say that I've shed my sore losing with age....and maturity....and many solo Monopoly matches. There's a lot that can be learned from the best selling board game of all-time, that pertains to success in life.
- Investing In The Best Properties - You already know Boardwalk and Park Place are the primest of prime real estate. You pay big fake bucks for them, but boy is it worth it. Let your opponent land on one of those spaces, and you'll see your reward. Same in life. Sometimes investing in the best gets you the biggest returns. And in the end, you'll almost always get what you pay for.
- Chance - Land here, pick a card, and you may become a little richer. Remember winning first prize in a beauty competition? Or a bank error in your favor? Maybe these aren't realistic for you and I, but taking chances in life can often result in positive outcomes - which is why we get excited about "chance". Sure, something negative may happen, but it's the possibility of something positive happening that gets our juices flowing. Get out of your comfort zone in 2012, and start seeing new outcomes.
- Pass Go, Collect $200 - You make it all the way around the board, without going bankrupt, and you collect $200. This checkpoint gives you a financial shot in the arm and allows you to keep on trucking, or thimble-ing, whichever you choose. Same in life. Give yourself checkpoints en route to accomplishing your goals, and then reward yourself for reaching them.
- Be The Banker - Let's face it, the banker is the best job in board gaming. You have a fake $20,000 at your "disposal". Come on, be honest, have you ever slipped an extra $10....$20....$5,000 maybe, into your stack? There's something to be learned about having that kind of power. It teaches honesty, fairness, and as a kid, it allows your imagination to run wild with the possibility of what you could do if you had all of the banks money. Work hard to earn and save more, and feel that same wave of excitement as an adult.
There are many other lessons that I took away from this childhood favorite. From paying utilities, to math, to leveraging "assets" and paying up on my responsibilities. Think about it, if you owe somebody rent in Monopoly, you can't say "Yea, sorry for the delay, but the check is in the mail, I swear!". You pay up, even if that means shedding some valuable property to do so.
Some of the nostalgia is being taken away though. Monopoly now comes in video game form, and with electronic banking. Instead of cash, you get credit cards! I don't know about you, but I like the idea of having a sweaty fist full of fake dough and counting the spaces in advance as my fellow players land on a Boardwalk full of hotels!!! Ha Ha Ha Ha! Pay up sucker! Daddy's gonna have a green Christmas!!
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