Lessons From Mario Kart (Importance of Small Decisions)

If you’re like most teenagers, you probably love playing video games. Maybe you’re a huge Halo fan, or perhaps you love Call of Duty. Whatever your game of choice is, there are things that you can learn about leadership from video games.

Though I’m not a huge gamer, I do love playing a little Mario Kart. The one thing I noticed when I play Mario Kart is the importance of making good small decisions. For example, I tend to make really big turns when I’m driving. For example, I might be driving and notice that I’m starting to head to the left on the road. So I make this major correction in hopes of getting back to the middle of the road. Usually this does no good. I end up driving off a cliff or into a lake or something that results in me losing bunches of time. I always make way to big of corrections and end up losing the game. I’ve come to realize that I need to make small corrections to win at Mario Kart.

The same is true in life. Its making the small decisions/corrections in life that will steer the course of your life and cause you to not get off course.

I read a great story in the book Success for Teens by Jeff Olson. Jeff’s daughter was asking him some advice about how to do well in college and how to stand out. Jeff answered:

“Simply show up at your classes every day, and do the things your professors tell you to do, you’re going to beat 50% of people by just doing that.

Its such simple advice, but so true. Just showing up everyday will make you a success at college. Its the small decisions you make everyday that will be the difference between success and failure in life.

Some good small decisions to develop everyday:

1. Spending time with God
2. Getting up when your alarm clock rings(this is huge)
3. Being places on time
4. Keeping your word
5. Sharing your faith with others

 

Just like in Mario Kart, the small decisions are the ones that will keep you on course for your life. Being a leader begins with the small decisions you choose to make everyday. I encourage you to choose to make good small decisions which will make a huge impact on your life.