The Ultimate News Blog

Tips & Insights

Top 10 tips to Winning The Ultimate Game of Life

Posted on May 19, 2010

If you were to mentor a new TUG player (90 day or yearlong),
what would be your "Top 10 Tips to help a new player win The Ultimate Game of Life"?

here's a few of mine(Jim Bunch), in no particular order...

10) Create the Space to Win-- Block time every day in your calendar to review your goals & plan your 3 actions for the next day

9) Write your Goals in Sand vs Stone-- they will change as you learn what inspires you

8) Remember that "The Game Is Always On"^TM and quitters don't win-- that being said, its ok to quit today and start back again tomorrow

7) Simplicity Succeeds/Complexity Kills^TM-- enough said ..and yes, this is trademarked :)

6) Eliminate Distractions-- remove anything & everything that is not inspiring you and supporting your goals

5) Play to Win-- there's a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose..

4) "Take Risks but Never Be At Risk"-- you must risk to win but never put yourself "at risk" which could take you out of the game

3) STOP, START, CONTINUE--  ask yourself daily, "whats working, what needs improvement", then STOP doing the things you shouldn't be doing, START doing what you need to, CONTINUE doing whats working

2) Play Full out but not to Burn Out-- this means to give 100% during game time, but dont play until burn out. Take time to Relax/Recharge/Revitalize

1) Keep Your Commitments, No Matter What-- this whole game is designed to raise your awareness, get you into action and keep you accountable...but if you don't keep your word to yourself, you will never succeed long term.

Who do you ask first....GOOGLE or a HUMAN?

Posted on April 12, 2010

I just had an interesting insight about human behavior. 

Michele (my wife) asked me how to post someone
else's newsletter article to her CutieKins fan page. 
I know how to share it on my profile page
but not my fan page but to search GOOGLE. 
She said "I don't have time to do research,
i just thought it would be easier to ask you". 

My assistant Luanne and I were talking about
something the other day and she also said
she doesn't have time to do "research" and both of them just
moved on to another task without getting their question answered.

MY first response when i don't know something
is to google a question and if i cant find it in 1-2 minutes,
i ask myself who would know. 

I ask google first b/c i figure there are billions of answers
to billions of questions that people all over the planet have
asked so i figure the likelihood of finding the answers on
GOOGLE are higher than asking just 1 person if they know
how to do something, plus i figure that its better for me not
to pull someone offtrack from what they are doing to ask
a question i might be able to solve from Google.

So my question TO YOU is...
When you have a question...what is your first approach? 

Do you Ask GOOGLE or Ask a HUMAN?

Jim Bunch

(and if you've got a moment, id love to know why you choose the one you do?)

Happy Environments

Posted on March 5, 2009

"Nothing has any meaning except the meaning I give it" - what a powerful statement and a great tip for TUG (The Ultimate Game) players. 

 

We can easily be observers and forget to be participants.  Life can go by so easily and many of us in the game have learnt the benefits of participation in life.  We have learned that by participating, we can gain a lot more in terms of health, wealth and happiness.  However, every now and again we put a lot of meaning to how we have gathered those qualities to our life.

 

It can easily occur that we get upset or distracted from our vision or our goal and get bogged down in the 'meaning' of it all.  Perhaps the greatest insight into putting meaning on something is the tip of the day: Nothing has meaning except the meaning I give it.

 

In other words we can have our self talk be powerful and positive or we can have it be negative.  One moves us forward the other stagnates and limits us. 

 

Today's Ultimate Game Level 3 call affirmed the need to remember that we are the one that puts the meaning to it all.  Though this is something you have heard before, how great to be in an environment where you are safe to address concerns and issues.  Many TUG players have been at work in the area of their environments, whether it be cleaning out a closet, or reviewing friendships, or finding a career that they are passionate about!  This type of work stirs up reminders of our past and in doing so can halt us, so to be in a community that can give you access to true happiness is awesome.

 

Today was a great day   ..... And a great call.

 

Posted by Saskia Feain Sassyword (Ultimate Game of Life Level 3 Player)

Wealth creation comes from service not just from savings

Posted on March 3, 2009

Some conversations in life are always more awkward than others.  I'm particularly thinking about the ones you have with children when they ask for something.  Those sad puppy eyes have a way of saying 'why can't I have that' and you as a parent want to explain to them why.  Explaining to a 12 year old that there are budget requirements within a house is easier than talking to a 3 year old fortunately.  I was sharing this conversation with Jim, founder of The Ultimate Game of Life, today and how it went down, and how my oldest can understand the value of dollar and how far it can stretch.  Right now some schools cost more than others and as a result, the budget dictates where we send him.  Fortunately, he is in a good school and I loved that Jim acknowledged that I am teaching the children habits for living within our budget, something a lot of America could take heed of.

 

And though we save as a family to send our children to a school that caters for their needs and those of ours as parents, it means there are some things we go without.  To best serve my children I decided that I need to be a part-time mom, so I work in real estate during those times that my kids are not around.  At 3pm I become mom again, and the homework and the caring and nurturing are turned back on.  I found when I wasn't doing that, the costs well exceeded the benefits; in fact it was hard to find anything that was beneficial.  My children thrived and grew when they were in my care receiving my insights and assistance to living in this world.  Some old fashioned family values.

 

Or as Jim so eloquently put it as an "Ultimate Game Tip":

 Wealth creation comes from service not just from savings

 

Posted by Saskia Feain Sassyword (Ultimate Game of Life Level 3 Player)

Language is the Key to Happy Environments

Posted on March 2, 2009

Jim Bunch asked me to write a blog for The Ultimate Game on a regular basis.  Naturally I was delighted with the concept.  I've been writing a number of blogs for a number of years.  Before that I was writing articles about living in Hong Kong.  Jim knew that this was something that I would love to do.

 

Unfortunately the challenge he set me and the way I handled it I was like a deer stuck in headlights.  What could I possibly write about, what are tips that come out of Tug that could be of benefit to you the reader?  What am I doing that I've been taught that has made the difference to me?  Jim would say look at your memetics.  Why do I have the "stuck in the headlight action" running my environment?  Uncover this source and it will free me up.

 

I discovered I have that 'perfect gene' running a lot of what I do - so why do anything if it's not perfect right? This attitude can have you 'stuck'.

 

It's as if I just got it and when Jim said on one of the calls recently was "rather than be pushed or motivated....change your language and say:  Inspired and pulled". The language "motivate and push" is an adrenaline based energy where as the terms "inspired and pulled" is a cleaner source of energy.

 

Jim said "compare a gas powered car to an electric car".  A gas powered car is noisy and inefficient; an electric car is silent and smooth.  People are just used to running off adrenaline in their lives, when in fact, inspiration is a cleaner healthier source of energy.

 

Words can create friction.  If the memetics have friction built into them what is happening to the entire environment? 

 

The tip to happy environments is to always consider your language - are your words inspiring you and pulling you forward?

 

Posted by Saskia Feain Sassyword (Ultimate Game of Life Level 3 Player)