It happens every time. The passing from one year filled with victory, loss, joy, sadness, and disappointment into the new, filled with hope and possibility. January 1st is a time where we collectively hope for a better tomorrow. This is the year we finally do it. This is the year we buckle down. This is the year we won’t accept excuses. This is the year we make change.

This is the year…

So here we are, a few months in, but how many of us have successfully transmuted that desire into action? How many of us have turned that action into routine, or that routine into change? The truth is, we rush into a marathon with a sprinter’s spirit. We dive into the race with everything we have, forgetting that the journey to change is oh so very long. So many of us have run out of steam, are struggling, or have just plain given up. Instead of reassessing our approach, or pacing ourselves realistically, we are so quick to cut our self-worth down in ways we wouldn't stand to see anyone else treated. But sadly, we all too often reserve the harshest treatment for ourselves.

And so we remain...

Change? Opportunity? Hope?

Those are the things for the more fortunate.

And these are the lies we tell ourselves…

We escape to things like movies, shows, and video games yet we miss the simple truths they often point out. For our purposes we will take a brief look at video games, because oddly enough they have a lot to say about life.

Press Start

A quick Google search will give you no shortage of clichés on the simple yet profound power within the act of starting. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” “You can’t get a hit if you don’t swing the bat.” Every game, adventure, and success begins with an idea which lays dormant until you actually put it into action.

This, however, is easier said than done. The reason there are so many quotes reinforcing this thought is due to the fact that we are so quick to discount our ideas before they have the chance to become anything tangible.

There are largely two ways in which we destroy our ideas and therefore stifle our own potential: not enough thought, and too much thought. An Idea, much like a spark needs just the right amount of oxygen to become a flame.

How many ideas pop in your mind only to be immediately discounted because you have already convinced yourself that you are incapable? This is something we all should consider. You are worth more than you think. You have more value and capabilities than you give yourself credit. Sometimes all we need is the opportunity to show it. Next time you catch yourself listing the reasons how you are not good enough, or strong enough, or smart enough, challenge yourself. That voice of doubt inside your mind is born of insecurity and is almost always wrong. We want to stay safe, but no adventure ever starts within our comfort zone. Allow yourself the chance, you just might surprise yourself.

Planning vs. Paralysis of Analysis

It is important to have a plan which considers potential problems to be overcome. We fall into trouble when we get stuck on the road blocks. If we focus on problems we tend to find them. If we keep focused on the waves we find that we are more easily overtaken by them. If we keep our eyes on the struggle we will never see the hope. How we look at and approach potential pitfalls are critical. Our perspective is imperative. Successful people are well practiced at focusing on the possibilities. They focus on how they can succeed rather then on the many ways in which they can fail.

In games the hero is often thrown into a new experience of which we are forced to figure everything out as it comes. In life we are not as readily accepting of the unknown. We want to know everything. We attempt to plan for every detail forgetting that that is impossible. We plan ourselves into inaction and despite the energy put into thought, nothing changes. Planning can easily become a form of avoidance. You feel good over putting energy towards something, yet when nothing changes we then turn around to blame ourselves, get disheartened, and give up.

The world is an unknown. It may be scary, but you are not alone in your hesitation. In games we are often given a map of which we can only see what we have ventured out to see. This is true to life. No matter what we plan we can still only take one step at a time. With that step the next set of choices becomes clear. It is then that we get a better picture of our surroundings and can take the next best step. It doesn't matter if you have not arrived at your goal, you are a single step closer. Don’t consume yourself with worry over the countless steps ahead, instead, direct your focus on the single step ahead. No journey can end if it has never begun. Press start. Don’t allow yourself to give up on your aspirations because you are too afraid to even begin. Don’t look toward troubles and allow yourself to believe that is all there is along the way. Again, begin with a single step and then focus on the next. If what you do today impacts tomorrow, then today is the most important day of your life.

Goals

Save the Princess. Defeat the enemy. Beat the Devil. Escape. Climb the Mountain.

Games start out with a single objective. The obstacles that get in the way of that goal unfold and change as we press onward, but we remain focused on the target. We find allies and discover new abilities. We meet challenges head on. We fall and we fail but we keep focused. We get back up. We retool, reassess, and grind for better equipment. We make triumphant returns. We always come back.

We can do a lot when we know what we are doing it for.

Video games follow story lines and story lines know the power of a single objective. In life, finding the objective that’s worth fighting for is critical, but that’s something we all have to find for ourselves.

Are you happy? If not, then why not? What needs to change? Have you done anything to change it? Have you done anything today? Be honest with yourself. Don’t make excuses. Take responsibility. There is power in taking ownership over your own faults. There is power in realizing that our decisions have brought us to this place. Why? Because if our choices took part in bringing us here, then our decisions will take part in taking us out. Find your goal. You can do it.

Game over is NOT Game over.

Failure. You lose. Game over. Your diamond gear slips away in lava. The dog comes out of the bushes to mock you missing the ducks. Your enemies overtake you. The crowd boos. The screen goes black and you are given a choice.

Continue?

Of course we continue. Ever since the beginning of gaming we knew to arrive at the arcade with multiple quarters. We knew even back then that failure was inevitable, and despite it all, we persisted. Loss is a part of the journey. We know this, yet how is it we forget that this truth holds true in life. In gaming we know that with every death comes a lesson. We try, we fail, we learn, we slowly build our strength, adding to our abilities for the challenges ahead.

The trouble is within our thoughts. I know what it is to be at war with your own thoughts. Whispers in your head telling you how you will fail, how you are worthless, how others must see you, how there is no hope. If there is one thing you take with you in reading this, know that the whispers inside your mind are wrong and that taking the first steps is enough to break the shackles of fear holding you back.

But those whispers did not become so strong over night. Thoughts must be combated with new thoughts. Whispers of negativity must be combated with statements of affirmation. Even if they feel like a lie as you speak them you must repeat your affirmations to your heart. Every time a negative thought comes creeping in you have to answer it with a positive. There are many who may not know what it is to struggle against their own thoughts… but we do. I know it isn't easy but I promise you, you are worth it.

When all is said and done, failure is not the issue, but the fear of failure. We fear failure so much that we will sacrifice our own happiness in order to avoid it. This is something we have to get over if we are ever to find success. You may not know which choice to make ten steps down the road, so focus on the next one. And what happens if you slip? You get back up. We never start a new venture being an expert, everyone starts at level 1. Once you have taken that first step you own that part of the journey. Now suddenly your focus is on the second. When you do fail (and you will), you will open your eyes to see the world is still spinning. The sun still rises and sets and you are still of this earth. As long as you have breath in your lungs you are not finished. The only true failure is in giving up. We learn from each mistake and that allows us to come back with more strength and wisdom. Moving forward despite your heart being broken and your mind filled with fear is not weakness. It is strength. You are not alone in your self doubt. Never give up. Realize that your failures create the stepping stones toward success. Game over is NOT game over.

Press continue…



