How the Small Trips You Take Shape Your Life and Chess
I was halfway through a movie a few months ago when I paused it.
Not because my parrot started talking again.
Not because someone called me.
I paused because something felt… off.
Like I was in the front row of Hell Airlines, being pulled into a place I didn’t want to go.
The movie was just doing its job.
Taking me on a trip—a loud, violent, anxious one.
And I realized…
I don’t have to stay on every journey I accidentally board.
Your Daily Boarding Passes
“Life is a journey.” That’s what people say.
But zoom in… and it’s not one journey.
It’s thousands of little ones.
Tiny trips we take every single day.
And here’s the weird part—we’re the travel agent and the passenger.
Watch a movie? That’s a trip.
Scroll social media? Trip.
Argue about politics over dinner? Another trip.
Read a book? Trip.
Spend time with your kid, your friend, or your journal? All trips.
Sit quietly with your coffee? Still a trip.
Some take you to dark alleys.
Some take you to the clouds.
Some take you right back to yourself.
The only question before boarding:
Do you really want to go there?
The Compound Effect of Micro-Trips
Each trip feels harmless on its own.
One anxious movie. One pointless argument. One Facebook scroll that numbs your brain instead of feeding it.
But do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.
And suddenly, you’ve traveled miles—without ever deciding where you actually wanted to go.
The little trips shape the map.
They shape your mood. Your thoughts. Your habits.
They shape you.
And the scariest part?
You might not even notice until you're somewhere you never meant to be.
Conscious Boarding
This realization was both scary and freeing.
Now before taking a trip I ask myself:
Do I want to go on this trip?
Where will this take me emotionally and will I be glad I went there?
One conscious “yes” or “no” at a time.
And if I accidentally end up somewhere I didn’t mean to be?
Well, I just pull over, turn around, and find a better path.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-fun.
I’m not saying don’t relax. I’m not saying everything has to be educational, productive, blah blah blah.
I’m just saying…
If you’re going somewhere—mentally, emotionally—don’t make it random.
Choose your trips.
What Chess Trips Are You Taking?
This whole “trip” idea? It doesn’t stop at life.
Chess improvement is a journey too.
But zoom in… and you’ll see it’s made of tiny trips.
And just like in life—you’re the travel agent and the passenger.
Bullet marathons until 6 AM? Trip.
Forum fights about openings? Trip.
Endless YouTube hopping? Yep, still a trip.
Where do these trips take you? Backward? Nowhere at all?
Meanwhile, someone else is boarding better flights:
Solving the right puzzles for their level.
Watching a course that targets their weaknesses.
Playing a focused rapid game to practice the line they just learned.
You’re both putting in the time.
But after a month? You’re on different maps.
Now stretch that to a year…
The 30-Day Experiment
For the next 30 days, be conscious of the trips you take—in life and in chess.
Every decision, big or small, is a trip. Before you make one, ask yourself:
Is this taking me where I want to go?
Observe how much time you save for better trips, and how much more beautiful the destination becomes after a month.
With best wishes and love,
For your growth and fun journey,
GM Avetik (or Avo, as my friends call me)
P. S. I’m learning from Dr. Rao Srikumar, who, in turn, learned from his teachers, and now he’s passing the lessons to me.
We’re just two FedEx guys delivering knowledge.
This article is part of a series I’ll be writing on the lessons I’m learning from him.
The first in the series was “Good Thing, Bad Thing… Who Knows?”
And if you’re curious to dive deeper, you don’t have to wait.
You can explore more about Dr. Rao and his work here:
Srikumar Rao on Wikipedia
His books
His course
His official website
P.P.S.
The article was originally published on https://chessmood.com/blog, where you’ll find over 100 other articles written by Grandmasters, who share tips from their professional journeys and how to adopt the right mindset for this beautiful game, in order to have fun and grow at the same time.
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