I have to rest frequently during the day since my bout with bone marrow cancer in 2018. I often lay on the couch with my feet up and play online Gin Rummy, so I’ve racked up a few games, and I keep thinking there are a lot of really good life lessons in this game. I think that’s why card games are so popular—because they reflect our lives in some way. From experiential learning to going all-in every once in a while, I’ve ruminated on at least eight different paradigms for living that also work well in playing rummy.

In Katie’s coaching business, she uses the visual of a big rubber band, stretched between your hands, with the right hand being your big goals and your left hand being current circumstances. It’s hard to hold that tension, Eventually, you have to either let go of your current situation and move toward your goals, or let go of your goals. She asks: How committed are you? Can you endure the pressure of holding onto your goals until reality catches up to them?

What’s your mindset in your day-to-day life? Are you looking at challenges as opportunities and mistakes and problems as learning experiences? Does a positive mindset really make a difference? Let’s find out!

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”

Think of some big goal you’ve achieved, like moving into a house, getting a college degree, buying your dream car, or any other goal you felt so strongly about that you overcame all obstacles and accomplished what seemed to be impossible. Then, say this out loud: “I never miss a goal that I am passionate enough about to pursue relentlessly.”