The Benefits of Gratitude in Competitive MTG
In the spirit of Thanksgiving in the U.S., it’s only right that we take this opportunity to explore gratitude, and how it can have a tremendously positive impact on your gameplay.
Yeah, gratitude may sound like one of these touchy-feely, woo-woo topics that has no place in Magic: The Gathering, but the opposite couldn’t be more true. In this quick article you’ll learn why, and how you can leverage gratitude to optimize your in-game performance.
What is Gratitude?
Simply put, gratitude is feeling thankful or appreciative of someone or something. It’s a way of focusing on what’s good in your life and embracing an optimistic perspective.
While MTG is a game, playing competitively has a way of taking your focus away from what’s good in life. Instead, you’re generally focusing on playing the best you possibly can, which can be super stressful for many of us. Trying to navigate a difficult board state, make mulligan decisions or win a game against a pro aren’t exactly sunshine-and-lollipops scenarios that position you to feel your best. And as we all know, losing can cause frustration and disappointment, taking you even further away from feeling great.
The key to optimizing your performance in MTG is to get yourself to feel the best that you can while playing - and that’s where gratitude can play a huge role. One of the most important benefits of gratitude is its ability to improve your decision making. Other key benefits of gratitude in MTG include:
- Greater optimism. In Magic, this translates to reducing your tendency to tilt when you’re behind, and amplifying your belief that you can win.
- Less pressure to win. Gratitude can help you feel like you already have so much, taking the necessity and pressure out of your desire to win.
- Faster bounce-backs. Whether you had a rough match or a rough tournament, there’s always more Magic to play. Gratitude can help you pick yourself up after a loss and get back on track. In fact, after losing my first three games in last week’s SCG Satellite #3, I was able to bounce back and go 5-1, giving me a spot in Sunday’s Qualifier and a first round bye.
The benefits of gratitude go on and on. Here’s a great resource in case you’re interested in learning more: https://www.happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/ .
Gratitude is a Choice
Yes, gratitude is something that we feel automatically when something good happens to us, but it’s also a feeling you have to deliberately choose.
Choosing gratitude is as simple as reflecting on the things that you’re grateful for or excited about - and you can literally do it at any time. Before a tournament, after a tournament, in the middle of a match, during lunch, when you’re frustrated or stressed, and so on. And the more you choose to feel grateful, the more it comes naturally.
I highly recommend incorporating gratitude into your daily life if you really want to reap the benefits - both in and outside of the game. Some people (including yours truly) like to start the day by jotting down the things they’re thankful for. You can also do it right before you go to bed, which is a great way to improve your sleep. Talk about a great practice for the night before a tournament.
A gratitude journal shouldn’t be a tedious affair. I’m literally talking about taking 5-10 minutes (max) to write the things you’re grateful for, and then reading over the list. You can even download a gratitude app on your phone, or just text yourself a list of things you’re thankful for. It’s really that simple.
Want to level up with gratitude even more?
Try focusing on what you’re grateful for from an undesirable situation. For example, the next time you have a disappointing tournament performance, think of why you might be grateful for such an outcome. Was there something you learned from losing that you wouldn’t have learned from winning? Did you have an opportunity to face a high-level player?
I don’t know about you, but I definitely miss traveling to tournaments with friends. That said, I’m also really grateful for all of the time and money I’m saving by playing digitally.
The point - never stop looking for reasons to be grateful.
I’m not saying that gratitude will always translate to wins - but it will absolutely position you to play your very best in a number of ways. And as we continue to grapple with the challenges of 2020 and head into a new year, deliberately choosing gratitude is all the more important for our overall happiness.
What are you grateful for right now?
