Life is a game | Georgios Kakouliadis | TEDxMaviliSquare

"Who hasn't failed, even just once?" Georgios Kakouliadis wondered in TEDxMaviliSquare 2018. But what counts is getting up each time and setting your goals higher.

Georgios Kakouliadis was born in 1998 in Xanthi. He's a student in the department of computer engineering of the University of the Aegean and a member of the Apple Developer Academy in Naples, Italy. He spent the first years of his life solving jigsaw puzzles, traveling, and exploring technology in every form. At the age of 13 he started working on video editing. As a student at a music school, he took part in concerts and musical events. A year later he created his own YouTube channel and by the end of 2012, he had become a YouTube Partner. In 2013 he received the "School Lab" distinction from the British Council, for his short film of scientific content.

In the last two years he has taken part in many events like concerts, tennis championships, YouTube videos and radio broadcasts, and he has never stopped searching and broadening his horizons.

#TEDxMaviliSq2018 #TEDxMaviliSquareSpeakers #FeelYourHeart

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

At the age of 12

I had to come face to face
with myself for the first time.

It was the year I got into sports
and changed schools.

I became a student
at the music school of my city

and entered adolescence.

My fellow students were talented kids,
who were into various activities.

Some played music, others played soccer,

and some others
were just better than I was,

or at least that was how I felt.

I felt inferior in many areas
compared to other people my age,

and compared to my idea
of what I was and what I could be.

I was overweight,
shy and far from popular.

I believed I deserved
a lot more than that,

so I was looking for ways
to change my situation.

My first move was to do a Google search,
like we all do these days,

on how to become better, smarter,

how to make a good impression socially,

and I carried on doing similar searches.

I started reading books and articles
on self-improvement every day.

I believed that another great option,
in addition to articles on the internet,

would be reading a book
with condensed knowledge.

So I went to a bookshop.

I learned self-improvement
techniques and methods

and tried to apply them.

I studied body language,
tone of voice, speed of speech,

and tried to control the style
of every conversation I had.

So as you can understand,

it was very difficult to do all that
starting from square one

and studying all these things
at the same time,

and it would be utopian to believe
that succeeding was that easy.

So I came to realize

that theory and practice were poles apart,

so I started believing
that I would never achieve my goals

and grew even more disappointed in myself.

And then something happened

that changed my whole theory about life,

and about many things, at least
as I understood them, about myself.

It was a simple suggestion
by a teacher at my school:

to take part in a big
short film competition.

We took part

and ranked among the top teams,

and then I realized
something very important.

The day after our success,
I asked myself a few questions.

What was it that made me feel happy,
and relieved after I made it?

Why did I believe
that I couldn't pursue my dreams?

Why was I afraid to lose
something I never had,

and why should fear of failure
overshadow the fear of victory?

What did I really want out of my life,
and what was my purpose?

Every day, very strange things
happen around us.

Millions of people are born
and die at every moment,

and we have no idea that we coexist,

or that we coexisted for a certain time.

Billions of people have totally different
ideas, concepts, and beliefs than ours.

And there are people
we consider rare and unique,

and we are happy to have them around.

But they, and the rest of us,
we all have something in common.

The space between birth
and death, which we call Life.

As we all know,
Life isn't just play, right?

Wrong!

Life is play, laughter, crying,
conquering, risking, winning, losing.

Life, then, is a great game
with many rules and many parameters.

We know some of these rules at the outset,

and we learn more parameters and rules
in the course of the game.

A very important part in games

is to define your own frame
and rules from the beginning,

in order to reach your desired outcome.

So you have a goal
you are trying to reach,

and you can only do that
if you make the right moves.

But which is the right path,
leading you to your goal?

Perhaps there is no right path.

There is only the path
you carve for yourself.

And if the path you carve leads you
to your goal, you get your reward.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

Something similar happens in life as well.

Games, you see,

are inspired by life itself.

Perhaps our lives should also
be influenced by games.

Many times, we think

that this is our last chance to succeed.

We live on deadlines set by others,

and that make us fear failure.

We may make wrong moves,
or even no moves at all.

Imagine now what our lives would be like
if it were influenced by games.

For a start, we would not fear failure,

because, as we all know,

you always get a second chance in games.

Even if your lives and your chances
are reduced in the game,

you are able to replenish them,

to make them, and the game, last longer.

Why shouldn't we do the same in real life?

Every time we fail at something,

we increase the possibility
to succeed at our next attempt!

If you think about it, it's fantastic!

Another important element
we often see in games is time.

You may have noticed that many games,
instead of becoming harder, become faster.

This happens in real life as well.

For example, here, now, I could be making
a better speech than this in my game,

but TEDx specified
a set time frame for me to speak,

and as a result my game
became faster, not harder.

So since we know that in the game
our time is finite,

and the hourglass turns but once,

we can set our own level of difficulty.

Usually, we either think
that it's already too hard for us

or that we can't do it
in the allotted time.

Think about it.

We are confined by just one thing:

thinking that there are
two different things.

This confusion often leads to inactivity.

The way to escape is to have
a clear objective in our game

and, by extension, our life.

Time is the only resource we have.

When you turn over the hourglass,

you immediately feel
the pressure for action.

This is your key that helps you lock
the door of inactivity.

And you have to lock it well,

because it'll find many ways to escape

in order to confuse you
and lead you astray.

So if you manage to believe
and see life as a great game,

then it's very likely
that you will locate your goal.

You will realize that you are
the protagonist of this game,

and you will search for the rules
that you have to follow

and for all your potential enemies.

And then you will discover a big void.

There are no rules you must follow

and usually no enemies
that want to defeat you.

There is only you, your actions, and time.

The things that do exist, are:
time, and your actions.

Even time is a human construct

that you will never understand,

and when you understand that,

you will realize
that you are fighting alone.

So the onus is on you

and on your actions.

In decisions of secondary importance,

it is useful to examine the pros and cons.

In vital issues, though, decisions
must come from your heart.

Success is inside you.

So hear and feel your heart

and let it show you
the right strategy for your game.

Set your heart on a goal and chase it!

If you succeed, you'll enjoy the result.

If not, you will have enjoyed the journey.

In any case, you will discover

why it's worth taking risks,

why it's worth conquering,
and why it's worth playing.

Nietzsche said: "He who has a 'why'
to live for, can bear almost any 'how.'"

We are all called upon
to answer that "why."

The day you find the answer

will be the most important
day of your life.

Look for it deep inside without fear
and you will find it.

I found it a few years ago
after a simple competition.

Now it's your turn.

Thank you.

(Applause)