Is It All A Big Game of PAC-MAN?

Since I was a child, I’ve always absolutely loved PAC-MAN.

For years, whenever I visited Los Angeles, I always stayed at this one particular hotel because they had a free arcade console in the lounge that contained 5 versions of PAC-MAN.

When I’m going through the process of goofing off that gets me focused to do some awesome writing, I often turn to a good game of online PAC-MAN to help reset my mind into creative mode.

So, yeah.

There’s an important question about PAC-MAN, though, that all business creators should consider:

Is It Always A Good Idea To Gobble Up Every Monster And Eat Every Piece Of Fruit?

While it’s tempting to try to eat every ghost, every round, and gobble up every piece of fruit on the board, this is a great way to lose the game – at least until you’ve committed to memory the movement and behavior patterns of all four ghosts. (There are articles on this.)

In the early rounds of the game, the game moves slower and you have a good shot at a “perfect board” (gobble EVERY ghost, eat EVERY fruit, keep all your “lives”)

Then Things Speed Up… Like Your Business Does When More Prospects Sign On The Line That Is Dotted

As you advance to higher levels in the game, the ghosts start moving faster, and the power-pellets don’t last nearly as long.

The ghosts also get smarter at chasing you and cornering you – and sometimes you just can’t eat them all without a high risk of getting zapped.

That next piece of fruit (or the soft pretzel, if you’re playing Ms. PAC-MAN) might be tempting, but what are the chances a ghost might zap you if you get near it?

PLUS you don’t win “extra free lives” nearly as often as you do early on.

At A Certain Point, There Are Really Two Ways To Advance At PAC-MAN

Someday, you will complete all 256 screens of the game.

Until then, you have two choices:

• Try to eat every power pellet, every ghost, and every fruit; or
• Catch as much as you can but keep your “eyes on the prize” while continuing to advance to higher levels.

Which one are you doing?

How’s it been working up until now?

Let’s apply that to entrepreneurship and success, and ask ourselves:

Are You Slowing Your Marketing Down And Getting Zapped While Chasing Bad-Fit Opportunities?

Or, are you steadily advancing in levels by taking the opportunities and the lessons from each level, clearing the board as efficiently as possible, and moving along?

We’ll pause the game here and let you take a look.

Which is it?

Are you playing a winning game?

What adjustments can you make today?

You have all day to make things happen.

Your best work is yet to come, so long as you understand this.