I never want to sound like a self help guru. But think about it. Have you ever played a game where you start with an avatar and choose its founding components of who they are. Then the game begins you get lost in seeing the progress that your character develops. You make him cut wood he gets stronger. You make her read a book and she gets smarter. Pretty soon your avatar is becoming a dominate force in the game thanks to your guiding hand.
Why don’t we think of our own lives this way? We have one true character in life and it’s you. We can build them however we see fit. My life changed the second I started looking at it this way.
I lifted weights 7 days a week to build strength. I trained Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu to build agility and learn new skills. I read books by the boat load I got degrees in Biochemistry and an MBA. I traveled any chance I got to open my mind and heart to the people of the world, experiencing first had the world is much bigger than me. I would seek out things I was not great at and improve them. Taking classes in ballet for balance and Capoeira to have more awareness of my body. Even writing these blogs is an effort to build something I am not naturally gifted at which is writing.
I learned to find joy in the progress of building my character. I made it a tenant of life to constantly be open to new experiences in hopes of building me to be the best me I can be. Fact is it became so addicting that when I wasn’t building it was disappointed.
I dare you to take on this silly idea. When you read a book I want you to think about your imaginary skill bar going up. Think of the strength bar sliding up the scale when you hit that new squat record. Build the areas that you’re afraid of, you know the ones where your character started with a low skill bar. If games taught me anything this is the quickest areas you can improve. In the end the only character worth building is you.
