When I don’t understand something, my instinct is to attack it — read faster, click around, ask three people at once. But last month, a friend taught me the board game Go , and suddenly I heard myself saying something I almost never say:
Here’s the catch — the board has 361 intersections. More possible games than atoms in the universe. You can’t memorize your way to winning. You have to read the board, not recite it.
Not sarcastically. Not impatiently. Just as a promise to yourself that you’ll stay in the room with the mystery for five more minutes. igo figure
Next time you’re stuck — on a decision, a sentence, a conversation — try saying out loud: I go figure.
That’s it.
Not I’ll figure it out. Not let’s Google it . Just: I go figure . As in: I will literally go into the figuring. Slowly. Without an answer waiting at the end. In case you’ve never played: Go is a 4,000-year-old board game from China. Two players place black and white stones on a 19x19 grid. The goal? Surround more territory than your opponent.
Put down your phone. Ignore the timer. Make one small, imperfect move. When I don’t understand something, my instinct is
Then go figure. Liked this? Share it with someone who needs permission to move slower. — Jamie
Then another.
I Go, Figure: What an Ancient Board Game Taught Me About Modern Life