Stop Living a Whack-A-Mole Existence

When I was a kid, my favorite game at the amusement park was Whack-A-Mole. There was something satisfying about the challenge, the quick reflexes, and the feeling of accomplishment when I managed to hit every single mole before it disappeared.

I was fully engaged in the game, laughing, determined, always ready for the next one to pop up.

I had no idea that I would grow up to create a Whack-A-Mole life—one that felt far less fun.

For years, I moved through my days in a constant state of reaction. Just as I handled one challenge, another would pop up. I put out fires, juggled responsibilities, and worked tirelessly to keep up, believing that if I just worked a little harder, I could finally stay ahead.

Just like in the game, the moles never stopped coming. There was always another demand, another crisis, another thing to do.

At a recent retreat, a physician shared, "I just want to stop living a Whack-A-Mole existence."

She was also always reacting, always busy, always exhausted.

She wanted to step out of the cycle, to stop feeling like she was chasing something she could never catch.

I immediately got it.

This way of living takes a toll. It’s depleting. It disconnects us from ourselves, from our purpose, from joy. We move from task to task, responsibility to responsibility, checking boxes, fixing problems, and responding to what’s urgent instead of pausing to ask what’s important. We believe that if we can just handle everything as quickly as it comes, we’ll eventually reach a place of ease. But that place never arrives. The moles just keep coming.

Life doesn’t have to be played like this.

Stepping out of the game doesn’t mean abandoning responsibility or ignoring the things that need our attention. It means shifting from reaction to presence. It means noticing the moments when we’re about to instinctively “whack. Instead we can choose to pause, breathe, and respond from a place of intention.

In life, not every mole needs to be hit. Some will disappear on their own. Some aren’t ours to handle. Some can wait.

When we stop playing Whack-A-Mole with our lives, we create space.

We move differently, with more clarity and calm.

We make decisions with intention rather than urgency.

We stop rushing, stop gripping so tightly, stop feeling like we have to do everything, immediately, perfectly, at all costs.

I don’t play Whack-A-Mole anymore.

Not at amusement parks, and not in my life.

I choose instead to step back, to notice, to breathe, and to respond only when and where it truly matters.

What I can tell you is that life is so much better.