It's okay to be just okay at mahjong

Mahjong is challenging. All of the concepts from the tiles to the married dragons to the sequences on the card is a lot to take in. That said, our brains need this. Learning mahjong helps our brains grow and our self confidence soar… eventually.

There is a constant pressure to be perfect. We feel like we need to post the perfect photos, wear the perfect outfit and have the perfect families. When I first learned to play mahjong with my friend Jen, we both had to be humble. We had to listen to our teacher. We had to read the instructions over and over again. We had to make mistakes. We were both frustrated but determined. As we practiced, we started to improve. And as we improved, our excitement grew. We texted each other about all things mahj all hours of the day. We became confident in our game and our ability to still learn to do something we perceived as hard. It was amazing.

Teaching mahjong started as a necessity, not because I am the perfect player. I simply wanted more players! I have patience to walk people through the difficult concepts and I am a rule follower and enforcer. When I teach a new player, I go through all of those new emotions with them. I love to see faces go from perplexed and overwhelmed to a big smile and determination to find the last tile. Learning new skills is one of my life joys and I love to share that with others! I am not a perfect player and I am certainly not the best player. I am just able to give everyone the head start to feel comfortable sitting at the mahjong table.

One of the complaints about mahjong that I hear often is that it is too hard. I also hear that players feel like they aren’t going to be smart enough. This game is intimidating, but that should not deter anyone from playing. Every person that has started the game goes through the exact same emotions when they start. And when a new card is issued every year, all the players are faced with starting over again. 

There is a shared struggle to learn mahjong, and that struggle alone bonds people together. We can all relate to each other that it is a tough game. Some days, we have no idea what line we are even trying to win. After patience and practice, you will also be able to go from the confused newbie to the slightly less confused seasoned player.

You heard it here first- nobody cares how good you are at mahjong as long as you follow the rules. Fine, maybe some women are super competitive and want to play super fast games, but that is rare. The majority of people coming to play this game all have the same goals: challenge their own brains, connect with people and have fun. 

Accept the challenge to learn something new. Forget the pressure to be the best. Don’t even worry about winning. With mahjong, you just need to follow the rules and try to complete a sequence. Let’s connect and try something new.