Study the Board

“Pray for me, God’s got a play for me…”

Recently, different conversations and experiences have been drawing me back to my childhood interests and I’ve been enjoying it. In my younger years, I was heavily connected to my artistic side. As I have gotten older, I put it on the back burner because I was under the influence of believing that if you’re not working hard at something “practical”, you’re wasting time and not doing something important. 

But deep down, I have always found that art in all forms is one of the most practical ways to bring people together to speak a common language of fantasy, fun, and freedom. These things make childhood as pleasurable of a time as it is. There are no worries about being judged or thoughts about how things should be done. As a child, I enjoyed the ability to be free from responsibilities and live my life doing things that brought me joy.

I’ve been finding more time to purposely put myself in spaces where creativity is being expressed and actively work on my creative passions. Art is something I choose to naturally integrate with Trust the Transformation because it’s a significant part of my story and is the visual representation of my message.

This probably has you guessing, “What is the inspiration behind the artwork for this post?” Well, as nostalgia would have it, another memorable time of my childhood was my introduction to the game of Chess. In elementary school, I was on the Chess team. I immersed myself in the game. I played with my friends at school or my brother, that were also on the team, as well as my other classmates. I wanted to teach anybody willing to learn and wasn’t afraid to take on any new contenders. Before this, I never found a game to be so interesting, thought-provoking, and intense but still extremely exciting. 

As of late, this game of logic has come up in various ways, so I viewed this as some sort of sign. I played it and watched others while spending time with loved ones, and saw it in a diagram of a PowerPoint presentation. It also kept being mentioned randomly in conversation or was used figuratively when spoken about.

This inspired me to return to the game with intention. Not only to play it more often, but also to see what I can learn from it metaphorically, and carry with me through life when I’m not in front of the board.

In the game of Chess, the Queen is recognized by many as the most powerful piece in the game. She can move in every direction, whether that be vertically, diagonally, or horizontally, utilizing the power of the Rook and Bishop (two other great pieces) in one piece. She can also move any amount of squares in a line. When used strategically, the Queen can be a great facilitator in reaching a checkmate (winning the game). But if a poor strategy is used, she can easily be swiped and cause an untimely defeat.

Not having practiced in a while, when I played recently, I noticed I didn’t look at the board like I used to. I buckled under pressure, moving nervously and not paying attention as much as I could have. I was playing the game to not lose, instead of playing to WIN, and YES, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. See, in playing the game to not lose, you’re more focused on what the other player is doing to dismantle their strategy. When playing to win, you become one with the board, seeing it from every angle and side. Observing your opportunities to make powerful moves while being aware of how you can block your opponent. But overall, triumph is your focus, and using the Queen as a part of your strategy is most commonly how you can get the job done.

When learning Chess, I’ve heard that before you move the Queen all “willy-nilly”, it’s best that you develop her because she’s great at attacks but not for defense. In life, I see how many times I was ready to make a move without making sure that my other “pieces” were protected. I didn’t ensure that I was thinking multiple moves ahead, considering my future reality. This moment of my life has taught me that it doesn’t matter what my abilities are if I don’t know how to use them to achieve the greatest results for myself. Having the “know-how” isn’t enough. Was my head truly in the “game” or was I just winging it, going off of plain skill, hoping for a victory?

I concluded that I needed to enter a flow state, where I consciously become one with myself. Ignoring the internal voices of who I think I am supposed to be but instead living in a state of being. I now aim to be crystal clear with all that I am. I’m still in that process, as of the time you are reading this, and possibly will be for a while after. I’m okay with that though because this is the time when I thoroughly learn all of who Tyeshia is, to transform into the best version of that. I can no longer go off of what I am seemingly aware of based on surface-level understanding. Discovery has made it increasingly important to me that I have a grasp on the ins and outs of my vision for myself.

“What does the woman I aspire to be one day look, dress, sound, and behave like?” 

“What kind of partner and friends does she have?”

 “What does she do in her free time?”

 “What are her morals, values, and standards for herself and those that she has relationships with?”

 “What keeps her grounded?”

“What are her lifetime goals?” 

“What is the legacy that she wants to leave behind when her life comes to an end?”

Taking inventory of who I desire to be and the life I desire to live has given me a reality check on how far I still have to go and the direction to where that is. I know I’m going to get there. Right now, I’m just developing a strategy and playing my position. I choose to remain observant, commit to being a student of life and keep my eye on the prize, cause I’m still in the game.