Press ‘Start’ to play

A simple phrase that I am sure all gamers are familiar with.

This phrase pops up in nearly all the games out there after the initial loading screens or intro videos are done.

This is a simple prompt that waits for the player to input a command before the game actually starts. This ensures that the player is present and ready to go. 

This simple prompt represents a single point of commitment and decision. In video games, we view this point in time as being full of excitement and opportunities. We wonder what kind of challenges and rewards we will run into. We don’t want to wait to find out. We press ‘start’ and dive right into it. We charge forward, challenges after challenges, picking ourselves up after every failure because of our determination to do whatever it takes to get to the next sweet reward.

However, in real life we often stop ourselves completely when we have to make a commitment. Being scared and worried about the challenges that may come up if we move forward. Excitement is replaced by fear. We stall, we wait, and often, we let the opportunities slip away before we ever have the chance to press ‘start’.

As the great Wayne Gretzky said “You miss 100 percentage of the shots you don’t take.” By not taking an action, we actually commit to letting the potential reward pass us by. By not pressing ‘start’, we actually commit to failure.

Well, if we are going to fail anyways, would it be so bad to make a commitment to try our hardest and give it a shot?

Next time you see that Press ‘Start’ to play screen come up in your life. Consider taking the action. You may fall, you may bruise, and you will learn tons along the way. Hey and if you really succeed, you will get that sweet reward at the end too!