Book Titles

When we don’t see visible results that we can clearly link to our own efforts, it is impossible to take real satisfaction in our work. Unfortunately, for many of us this is true in our everyday work lives.

…playing games can give us a taste of that elusive sense of individual agency and impact in a world where the work we do may be challenging, but our efforts often seem fruitless.

…for many of us who aren’t gratified enough by our day-to-day jobs or don’t feel like our work is having a direct impact, gameful work is a real source of reward and satisfaction.

The more we fail, the more eager we are to do better.

…the right kind of failure feedback is a reward. It makes us more engaged and more optimistic about our odds of success.

By design, every computer and video game puzzle is meant to be solvable, every mission accomplishable, and every level passable by a gamer with enough time and motivation.

…hope of success is more exciting than success itself. Success is pleasurable, but it leaves us at a loss for something interesting to do. If we fail, and if we can try again, then we still have a mission.

…when we can enjoy our own failure, we can spend more time suspended in a state of urgent optimism – the moment of hope just before our success is real, when we feel inspired to try our hardest and do our best.

When we’re energized by failure, we develop emotional stamina. And emotional stamina makes it possible for us to hang in longer, to do much harder work, and to tackle more complex challenges.

Flourishing isn’t about pleasure or satisfaction; it’s about living up to our fullest potential. And to truly flourish, we have to be optimistic about our own abilities and opportunities for success.