I read a story once about a guy who fell while rock climbing and broke his leg. He was alone and trapped. Somehow, he was able to free himself from the rocks he was stuck between and crawled miles to a road where he was rescued. He had no food or water and no way of communicating with the outside world but instead of losing hope, he pretended he was in a game. He gave himself small manageable tasks to do, one at a time, like a challenge or a quest in a game. If he failed, he just kept trying until he succeeded and didn’t think about what was at stake. Once he completed a task, he thought of another he could do. He never overwhelmed himself with the thought of the magnitude of his situation.
Sometimes I listen to real estate or self-help gurus who talk about making a plan and working the plan. They want to you think about where you want to be in 5 years or 10 years and then make a list of what you have to do to get there. I just can’t. Five years ago, I had no idea where I would be today and ten years ago, I was even more clueless. No one is guaranteed tomorrow so thinking I have years to get somewhere seems a bit presumptuous to me. I prefer the method used by the rock climbing survivor: turn your life into a game.
Instead of having a grand plan, I like to pretend I am outside myself, playing my life like an avatar in a game of Simms. What do I want to do today? I think of my options and what direction they will take me. Will it bring me closer to the life I want or further away? Sometimes I still choose to lay on the couch and watch videos instead of working but it’s an intentional choice. Thinking about my actions this way has helped remove the emotion and internal debates that flood my mind. I am able to treat myself the way would treat another person I care about. I’m less condemning and judging of myself when I consciously choose to eat a donut in the office instead of walking away and thinking about donuts all day.
I don’t know how long I will be able to maintain this game of gamifying my life but it’s working for now. Let me know if you have any tricks for getting things done without the negative internal dialogue. I’m interested to hear if anyone else pretends to be an avatar.
Things You Don't Forget 