life is just an rpg on hardcore mode

pew pew

Through some combination of losing myself in Persona 5 and losing my mind through the early pandemic, I began to view life as a video game.

Despite my descent into madness, I was onto something. Viewing the world through the principles of a video game has vastly improved the way I live my life.

Turns out, moving forward in life is exactly like progressing through a game. You gain experience as you go, and you really don’t know where the story is going to take you. And that’s okay. That just means that as the main character, you get to create a unique, incredible plotline. Chances are, you’re much more powerful than you imagine.

The grind. Just as slaying monsters levels up your character, the real world rewards the grind ― including nurturing strong relationships, creating brilliant art, and engaging in fulfilling work. 

But it doesn’t always have to feel like a grind. Working on things that align with my values has always felt way more impactful than hustling on random bullshit for the sake of being busy. And if you can find something that feels like work to other people, but feels like play to you? That’s your superpower.

Success is a series of small wins. When we look around, it seems that successful people were simply born with a self-assured awareness of their life purpose. But that’s just not how it works. 

In reality, most elite performers will tell you they had no idea that they’d end up in their exact position today. They put one foot in front of the other, which led to one opportunity, which led to the next ― and before they knew it, they’d built a great life for themselves. 

In other words, they invested in their skill tree, which twisted and turned and benefited them in unexpected ways, allowing them to make unique connections between disciplines that others wouldn’t have. They invested in the process rather than the outcome. 

Trust yourself. In virtual worlds, we hold inherent faith that the game won’t throw us anything we can’t handle. While the real world doesn’t ostensibly make that guarantee, trusting yourself to endure all kinds of hardship and emerge stronger is an incredibly powerful frame of mind. 

I’ve found it to be a self-fulfilling prophecy: when I believe I can handle anything, I can much more easily move with grace and equanimity through tragedy and chaos. When I doubt my ability to handle the road ahead, I drown in anxiety and feel alarmingly fragile. 

Very few things will irreversibly fuck up your life. After all, you have a perfect track record of emerging stronger and wiser from unexpected hardship in the past. The road ahead will be no different.

Whatever you’re going through, you’ve got this.

Keep shooting. So many of us are so afraid of failure that we fail to try, or we avoid situations where we can’t control the outcome. It’s true that we have limited control over this particular game. But it turns out our Luck stat is malleable ― by focusing on perspective and self-investment rather than winning or losing, we create our own luck.

From the outside, it seems as every wildly successful person just breezes through life on their path to achievement, but the greatest players take losses all the time. The only difference is that they get back up and keep going. 

(Source: Visualize Value)

Don’t neglect these parts of your character build.

Core stats. Our bodies are the vessels that carry us through this game. And until mad scientists develop Futurama-style talking heads, we’ll only ever have one. 

But keeping your vessel in good shape doesn’t just mean working out and eating right. Learning the extent to which my mental and physical health affect each other has been endlessly fascinating. It’s much easier to feel light and at ease when I get good sleep; it’s also much easier to get good sleep when I feel light and at ease. Health is incomplete if not holistic.

Self-compassion. None of us control our spawn point, base stats, or starting gold. We all have completely different experiences, so let’s not judge each other or ourselves too much for where we’re currently at. You don’t berate a Charmander for not being a Charizard, right? Don’t waste your incredible potential by beating yourself up so much.

Building bonds. It takes a village to build something great ― even the most powerful characters need help from their allies. Tragically, one of the top regrets of the dying is wishing they had spent more time nurturing their relationships. Don’t let that be you.

Purpose. Figure out why you’re playing. Some people want to dominate competitively and climb ladders, while others like to stack gold and collect rare items. Some simply play for pure enjoyment and the love of discovering new experiences with their loved ones.

Tap into the playing style that uniquely gives you energy and deep fulfillment, not the way outside critics tell you to play. But remember to play ― life’s too short to take everything too seriously.

Endgame

Getting what you want out of this game starts with your mind and body ― investing in your all-around wellness while trusting the process. It may not feel like a linear progression, but one day you’ll look back with fondness at how you played and laugh at all those times you felt scared of a boss fight. 

We’re all going to hit the Game Over screen one day. As you think about reflecting back from that point, how can you minimize regret here and now? 

It’s a vibrant world with infinite possibilities, and the greatest adventure of your life is out there waiting for you. I hope you live it to the fullest.