The Snakes & Ladders of Life

In the board game, the ladders gift us with an immediate advancement and the snakes tax us with an unwelcome backslide.

Life can operate in similar ways. And it’s amplified in certain situations.

In the game our fate rests with the roll of the dice, but in life our path is determined by our choices. Do we face our fear and rise to meet the challenge or do we succumb and turn away?

The degree to which there is fear to be overcome will determine the gains that a ladder can offer, or the severity of the fall with the snake. The greater the fear, the taller the ladder of opportunity. We are granted an upgraded situation and new possibilities as a direct response to rising to the challenge. Every time we choose to respond with bravery or take a great leap of faith, we engage a kind of cosmic insurance that ensures we get our best possible outcome. The more we’re willing to put on the line, the greater the upside.

Conversely, if we shrink and fall victim to our fear then we set ourselves back and usher in a new set of undesirable challenges to highlight whatever it is that we don’t want to face. The difference is stark. On one hand there are bright new possibilities and on the other we face a worse situation than before.

This dynamic is always at play but there are certain settings where it’s amplified. There are times when we can make ourselves available to a bigger influx of these God-given crossroad opportunities for advancement (or downfall).

Travelling is one of those times. When we’re away from familiar surroundings and routine, we find ourselves more available to the flow of the unknown. And the more looseness we allow in our travel itinerary, the greater the scope for expansive opportunities. The intention to explore invites potential.

Another is when we're faced with uncomfortable truth. At this juncture, many will immediately reject it purely because of it’s disturbing nature. A rarer few will remain open to consideration of the information despite the discomfort it brings. The greater the capacity to allow uncomfortable transformation, the greater the opportunity to progress.

And yet another entry point into this greater richness of uplevelling is via enlisting a coach. The coaching experience can be likened to a more internal version of travelling where we actively journey into the unchartered territory within ourselves. It is also a doorway to revealing many new personal truths.

A great coach will clearly see the many ways that unconscious sabotage is confounding progress, and also the many expressions of unrealised potential. The gift of these objective coaching insights offers up a snake or ladder path each time something new is made known.

Those who are bold will move forward to the next development, and the rest invite a repeated provocation somewhere down the track of the same fear, (but next time with the volume turned up that little bit further). Whatever pace of change we choose, we can either meet it with willingness or resistance. Avoidance doesn't excuse us from the game, it just makes the lessons more uncomfortable.

Actively coached or not, life will continue to bring opportunities to grow. We have a lot more influence over what shows up than most people appreciate. The more we grab hold of the opportunities to turn what may seem like a challenge to our advantage, the more we secure ourselves against having to learn things the hard way.