Unlock Your Inner Hero: Why You Should Treat Life Like a Video Game
- Apr 3, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: May 3, 2023
In this newsletter, I'm going to explain how treating life like a video game can help you unlock your inner hero and achieve greater success and fulfillment.
First, let me give you some context.
As a teenager, I loved playing video games.
Modern Warfare 2 is my game of choice.
I would wake up at 5 am every morning to play for 3 hours before going to school.
I would return home at 5 pm, have something to eat, and be right back on the grind until midnight.
Only to wake up the next day and do it all again.
It’s safe to say I was obsessed.
I was so addicted to getting better. Finding ways to improve my game. Grinding the leaderboards trying to climb my rank in the world.
At the peak of the game, I was in the top 1000 players in the world.
This might seem pointless, but at the time it felt like a big accomplishment for me.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Because I realized that our life is a game.
You are the player and you have to learn how to play the game.
You start off with a blank slate.
A fresh spawn.
No skills.
No knowledge.
No experience.
No idea of who you are or what you have to do.
We go through the game of life:
Making sense of the world around us.
Overcoming hurdles and challenges.
Gaining experience and skills
Finding employment.
Building friendships.
Collecting money.
Each level is preparing us for what is ahead.
Sometimes you get stuck on a level for days, weeks, or months until you finally crack it and can move ahead with the mission.
The purpose of the game is self-actualisation.
Self-actualisation is the ultimate game of life.
It involves understanding, accepting, and embracing who you are and what you want in life.
It is the process of setting goals, taking risks, and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
It’s about having the courage to take on challenges and the determination to keep going.
It encourages you to explore your inner self.
Recognise your strengths and weaknesses.
It teaches you to trust yourself and make decisions that will lead to your success.
It encourages you to be creative and find new ways to solve problems.
Self- actualisation is about discovering and fulfilling your true potential.
self-actualisation is a journey, not a game with winners and losers.
Taking a video game approach to life has many advantages.
It's helped me cultivate a mindset of persistence, grit, and resilience to overcome obstacles and stay focused on my goals.
As you overcome challenges you become more self-aware.
You begin to identify your passions and strengths and create a roadmap for achieving your goals.
Viewing my life as a game brings me purpose and joy.
Unfortunately, many people don't play the game of self-actualisation.
Instead, they follow the storyline that society has established for them.
Spend their lives completing side missions and never the main missions.
Many people play society's game because they lack clarity about their life purpose.
Most people go through life in the passenger seat instead of the driver's seat because:
Scared of failure or making the wrong choice
Lack self-awareness
Believe that their past determines their future
Feel pressured to pursue a certain career or path
Here's the good news: You can overcome these problems with the right tools and strategies.
In the next section, I'll give you specific steps to take, so you can become the hero of your story and create a fulfilling life.
Step 1: Develop Self-Awareness
The first step of self-actualisation is developing your self-awareness.
Self-awareness is the ability to be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in the present moment.
If this is something that is new to you, then you need to know that it will take time.
You can’t expect to go to the gym, do 10 sit-ups, and have a six-pack.
The same is for awareness, it is a muscle that develops over time the more you use it.
Remember I mentioned before that in the game of life we can get stuck on a particular level for days, weeks, months, or even years?
This may be working a job you hate, but you continue to do it because it pays the bills.
It might involve staying in a relationship that you don't want to be in because you fear being alone.
When we are stuck on these levels it halts our progress toward self-actualisation.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them” - Albert Einstein
How to Raise Your Self-Awareness?
Journaling
Journaling is one of the most powerful tools to gain self-insight, learn from your past, and reprogram your mind for a brighter future.
I have been journaling for 4 years.
It’s helped me understand my negative feelings, gain clarity on my thoughts, and develop a deep sense of introspection within myself.
Here are 3 powerful prompts you can use every day:
Write down three things you're grateful for each day.
What are three things that I can do today to move closer to my goals or aspirations?
Reflect on your day and write about something that went well, something you could have improved, and something you learned.
Step 2: Set Meaningful Goals
Many people go wrong when setting goals by not making them meaningful or specific enough.
They may set vague goals like "get in shape" or "be more successful," without defining what those terms mean to them personally.
This can lead to a lack of direction and motivation, as well as difficulty measuring progress.
To avoid this, it's important to set SMART Goals:
To set meaningful goals that align with your life purpose, follow these steps:
Identify what truly matters to you and what you want to achieve in your life.
Break those long-term goals down into smaller, more achievable milestones.
Use the SMART criteria to ensure that your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Specific: Define your goal as specifically as possible. Measurable: Make your goal measurable so you can track your progress. Achievable: Set a goal that is challenging but achievable. Relevant: Make sure your goal aligns with your life purpose and values. Time-bound: Set a deadline for achieving your goal.
Write down your goals and review them regularly to stay focused and motivated.
Celebrate your successes along the way to stay motivated and build momentum.
Step 3: Start Taking Action
Nothing changes unless you change.
You just need to start taking action in the right direction.
So many times we get stuck in analysis paralysis. Thinking and planning endlessly without taking any steps forward.
But the truth is, you don't need to have everything figured out before you start taking action.
In fact, taking action is often the best way to gain clarity and make progress.
Consistent action is the key to achieving your goals and creating a fulfilling life.
It's not enough to take action once or twice and then give up.
You need to commit to taking action on a daily basis, even when it's hard or you don't feel like it.
Just like in a video game, the journey to self-actualisation won't be easy.
You'll face obstacles, setbacks, and challenges along the way.
These are on the way not in the way of the life you desire.
Every step you take brings you closer to unlocking your full potential and becoming the hero of your own story.
I wish you well.
~ Stefan Barbas
P.S When you’re ready:
Check out the Life By Design Program:
The complete playbook of how to - Live your Purpose, Actualise your Potential & Create a Life by Design.
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