We found ourselves on another pirate ship. This time we were locked in separate cells in the brig and had the mission of freeing ourselves from the cells, going through the captain’s quarters to find a map revealing the location of hidden treasure, and then finding a way off the ship. We felt like we were really on a pirate ship because of the set-like quality to the room. We had to take time to enjoy the scenery and take in every detail that the game designer put into our immersive experience.

By paying close attention to the immersive quality of the room, we were able to locate a few clues that we may not have noticed when one gets the typical tunnel vision while zeroing in on completing a challenging task. We accomplished our mission, victoriously escaping the ship with map in hand. Our game master celebrated with us after the escape and said, “it’s nice to see players appreciate the room.”

Too often in life, we are focused on the destination and not appreciating the journey it takes to get there. We run into this so often in the world of escape rooms. People want to solve the clues as fast as possible so they can get on the “leader board,” which ranks the teams that get out of the room the fastest. When the game master delivers the pre-brief for each room, they usually share the requirements to get on the leader board. We respond that we want to get out with two minutes to spare, not to clear the room in 20 minutes. We are paying good money for a quality experience, so why would we want to cut it short? Think about how this applies to your goals in life. You set a goal for yourself (professional or personal) and then do what you can to achieve it in the fastest way possible. What about really enjoying the process of who you become while going after that goal?


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