Life is like a game of pinball

I was watching a young man play pinball and I noticed a few things about this game.
First off, the ball only goes as far as it does based on how hard the person "flips" it with the flipper.
Secondly, it doesn't move in a straight line to the top of the game.
And third, the number of points that the player earns is based on the number of obstacles that the ball bounces off of.
Life can be like a game of pinball. How much effort are you putting into it? Does it rise up high so that you can earn the most points? How many obstacles do you encounter on your journey?