Monopoly

Monopoly is one of the oldest games that exists until now. It’s origins stem from the very early 1900’s and it used to be called “The Landlord’s Game.”

When I was a kid, I remember playing Monopoly often with my brother and sister. The three of us were enough to play competitive games with one another which I throughly enjoyed. Whenever we’d be blessed by the company of other kids, I remember getting excited because the caliber of the competition is yet to be discovered.

We played monopoly a lot because it was one of the only board games we owned. I quickly learned how to become the banker. I was always the banker, and I always won. I noticed that when I wasn’t the banker, I didn’t really win. For some reason, I felt like I didn’t have control, and it was hard to keep track of how much money my competition had when the game was tight.

Growing up, we were always asked what we want to become and I always said doctor, both to please the person asking and to satisfy this ambitious self that I was becoming.

We quickly learned how to master the game, and as usual, we all got to develop our own strategies. I remember discussing them at one point and my siblings wanted to be more tactical about how they spent their money and not waste it on the first chance that they have to buy on the cheapest block. They want to save their money for the bigger ticket items.

I, on the other hand, figured, hey, just buy anything at every opportunity because by the time that we get to the bigger tickets, I just want to assume that I will have the money to buy them as well. Abundance mentally as they call it.

It always worked. It was very rare that a series of bad luck would throw me off. I remember monopoly as hunger games when I was a child.

Occasionally, I ran into dilemmas of whether I should rent or buy railroads. They were expensive to rent and yet didn’t provide much income. They just sound nice, but don’t add much value in the portfolio. Eventually, I learnt to save them for last.

Never in my wildest dreams that I’d ever think I’d grow up as a banker. It wasn’t part of my plan nor was I even aiming for this career. I ended up applying to many big name firms and I just got hired and took an underpaid job while attending university. I’ve never even had any inclination to pursue Finance in my undergrad. Once I stepped foot in the entry level position, door just naturally opened without forcing them much.

It was all a fluke, but I’m here now, and I actually really really love it. This thought made me realize a few things in life:

1- Sometimes, you go through some sort of a preparation in life for something that you are called to do.

2- You need to build it to Broadway, and it takes a lot of turns and hard work to get there.

3- My backbone straightened whenever I would deal the money when I played Monopoly, the same way that Beyoncé’s back bone straightens when she conquers the stage according to her. She said that’s how you know that that is what you are meant to do.

4- Whatever it is that you’re good at, that skill may follow you for the rest of your life.

5- Let children play and let them hone their strategic skills. Let them compete with one another. Let them be passionate about winning.

6- You can only master the strategies after you’ve immersed yourself in it and played it enough times. This goes for work, business, or anything else.

7- I realize now that I really love real estate, and I find joy in searching for different types of properties in different places.

In my contemplative times, I look back in my childhood and for some reason, the image of me playing Monopoly with my siblings and winning is still the most vivid.

No wonder this game is still alive until now, and exists for over a century. There are so many things to learn that are applicable in daily life.

How about you? What are some of your childhood defining moments that shaped who you are today? How can you hold on to the positive things and let it propel you to achieve your dreams?