…with Gary Moss

You have the power to make TODAY the first day of the rest of your life. We all have that power.

We all have our own reasons for making that happen or not happen. It all depends on our attitude and our motivation. I know that I cannot persuade you to do a single thing that you do not want to do.

Every week I get calls from people who claim to be interested in playing scrabble. Sometimes people will even trek out to CLUB #350 to have a look.

I try to be open and honest by answering questions fully. Maybe, at times, I give out too much information and scare people away. But I tell people the things that I wanted to know when I first stumbled upon a scrabble club.

I begin by telling ‘onlookers’ that for most people there is a learning curve. It takes some time to get up to speed. I share that I didn’t win my first club game for weeks when I began to play.

Most people are impatient. Most people want immediate gratification.

Would you expect to bowl 300 game the very first time that you joined a bowling league? Would you expect to hit a ‘hole-in-one’ on your first golf outing? Why would you expect to begin playing at a scrabble club, against seasoned players, and be an instant success? Even the lowest ranked club players are usually better than the best ‘casual’ players.

But any individual can choose to change from being a mere Novice to becoming a Mavin. It is all a function of attitude, desire, and work (study). All three pieces are essential. If you have a good attitude and plenty of desire but never read a word list . . . . it will take you a longer time to move up in the ranks. If you jump in and study a lot at first but lack the attitude and desire, you will most likely slack off, resting on your laurels, when you think you have studied enough.

*HINT All of the best players of the game in competitive circles, including world champions, continue to study every day. (They don’t consider it a chore; it is fun for them to learn new things and review lists.)

Many of the skills that we scrabble players develop, to help us in this game, are transferable to other endeavors. Enhanced memory skills; developing personal study techniques; developing discipline and ‘sticktoitiveness’ will all help us in the other parts of our lives.

Many potential clubs players tell me that they will begin playing “as soon as I learn the 2-Letter-Word List” or “as soon as I think I am ready”. Those people never come back. There is always more to learn, no matter how good you become.

I think that most people just do not want to expose themselves to feeling vulnerable and awkward if and when they play a phoney. They don’t want to ‘look bad’ in front of others. I can’t fix that. All I can say it that the harshest one judging you will be you, yourself. Others will not care. I have learned that my greatest teacher has been experience. When I’ve made errors I’ve learned from them and seldom repeat them.

How many other things in life have you avoided doing out of fear of embarrassment?

If you want a head start, you can consider enrolling in my online class, SCRABBLE 101: CLICK HERE

See you at the scrabble wars.