Why Using Gamification To Increase Retention Is Important

There was a study performed by a group of scientists that involved using GPS technology.

Essentially these scientists wanted to see the direction that people walk. And it sounds really weird, but we have always heard that people walk in circles throughout time. So a group of scientists wanted to put it to the test.

The participants were placed in a forest and they were asked to walk in a straight line. And the participants were excited about it. And they were highly confident that they could get the task done. They kind of took this experiment on confidently. They noticed how the forest was so lush and green. It smelt of pine trees and it looked as if it was an untouched terrain.

In this portion of the forest, there was no trail. There were no mile markers or any type of landmark to distinguish their beginning or end. They were supplied with water and the only equipment that they brought themselves was their hiking gear. Many of them showed up in hiking shoes and brought layered clothing in case they needed it. The duration of the hike is not important. The important part is that they thought they were prepared and they were willing to put in the work. The other important part is that they would not be given any type of direction or map and they didn't really care. How hard could it be to walk in a straight line?

Each participant was also hooked up with a GPS device attached to their clothing. They couldn't look at it at any time. They were given one direction: Walk in a straight line.

When the data came in and they were getting ready to review it with everyone in the study, they asked them, how do you think that you did? All the hikers, as participants were highly confident.

Many of them said:

"I cannot wait to see how straight my line is".

"I walked in a straight line".

But data doesn't lie.

When they reviewed that GPS data, they saw that people do walk in circles and the highly confident people were like, are you kidding me?

After these findings, the scientist could now move on to the next question: Why?

Is it because people have one leg that's longer than the other? (true story) If you look at your body, everyone's asymmetrical and we all have one hand, that's a little bit bigger. We all have one eye a little bit more open.

There really wasn't enough data for them to credit the circle walking to asymmetrical bodies.

They investigated the Earth's equator balance, and still no answers to why.

But it's not a mystery anymore, people, undirect DO WALK IN CIRCLES.

This is why hiking trails need mile markers and landmarks to avoid walking in circles.

Have you ever felt like that in your business when you haven't had a coach or you're just trying to figure it out all by yourself? Maybe you're getting a lot of free information everywhere but you aren't quite sure how exactly to implement it.

Oftentimes, that confusion can feel like you're walking in circles. So when you look back at your business, it's just this big circle and it's all duct-taped together.

There is no wonder Jesus talked about how straight and narrow the path is and how it might be hard to stay on it. In the fallen world, we're walking in circles to try and figure it out, that is until we follow the path of someone who has gone before us.

It doesn't have to be that way. As soon as you understand gamification, you'll use it as a roadmap for success. 

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