Technorati Profile

Expert explains how to ‘play’ and win

Athletes train their bodies using specific tools and skills to improve their game. Just as athletes train their bodies, we can also train ourselves to strengthen our knowledge and skill in how we ‘play the game of life.’ Like basketball players who are faced with multiple decision points – whether to pass the ball or shoot – we have points of view, thinking patterns, life experiences and lessons – tools and skills that we can use. It is the moment in time between our choices – that ‘gap’ – that makes all the difference in the world.

But whereas within a game rules prevail, in the game of life, there are no formal ‘rulebooks’ to follow. We have to create our own rules and make our own choices. Using sports as an analogy, tri-athlete, medical doctor, cancer survivor, and author of Conquering the Game of Life: A Guide to Competing and Winning, C.K. Hersh, utilizes a series of entertaining stories, exercises and questions, to show us how to get into the game and find happiness and enjoyment in our lives.

Why did you write Conquering the Game of Life?
I wrote this book to help others capture their game of life so they might enjoy life more fully. The book shares some of my experiences and asks questions of the reader to help them inwardly focus to discover who they are and the game they want to play.

Why did you choose sports analogies to convey some of your points?
Sports provided a universal metaphor to convey the concepts of the book and to provide a backbone for the structure of the book.

What inspired you to write this book?
In a very short period of time I had some challenging life experiences a cancer diagnosis and the loss of both parents. In reflecting on this time I remember some stories that I wrote down and began thinking of a way to incorporate those stories hoping to help improve the lives of others.

What is the single most important lesson from your book?
To me the single most important thing the reader can take away from the book is that they can have the life of their dreams if they decide to take the action and commit to living the life they desire.

Besides your life events what has influenced you in the writing of this book?
The lessons my parents taught me would be one influence. My exposure to the work of Anthony Robbins and attending his events has had a strong influence in my life. I also have had the support of a wonderful family.

What is the purpose of the workbook at the end of Conquering the Game of Life?
The purpose of the workbook is to provide the reader with a tool so that they can develop the elements for their own game of life. They can reflect on the kind of player they want to be, the rules for their rulebook, the field or arena they want to play in, and the quality of game they want to play. The workbook provides a place to record their answers to some of the questions in the book to provide a structure to their game plan.

Do you do public speaking?
I truly enjoy public speaking and enjoy inspiring an audience to action. The content of the book can be used in a variety of settings to inspire and educate the audience.

What is different about your book?
The difference in Conquering the Game of Life compared to other self-help books is that the reader is given a workbook in which they answer some of the questions in the text. In a sense the book becomes a workshop for the reader. The stories are there to inspire the reader and create an inward focus so the reader will develop powerful answers for themselves to design the life of their dreams. I also believe that the game metaphor creates a familiar construct in which to place the concepts of the book to allow the reader to use the concepts quickly in their own life.