What are you doing to level up in your life?
In many role playing games there is the ability to have your character level up. After a certain amount of experience, study, or achievement, the character advances a level. This level advancement confers new abilities such as improved strength, increased dexterity, more wisdom, or a higher level of intelligence. As these games are supposed to be a reflection of life, it made me think, what am i doing to level up in my life?
Many of us live the same day over and over, kind of like the movie the Groundhog Day. Go to work, eat, take the kids to their activities and help them with their homework. Those are not bad things, they are just the things that we all have to do in order to make it through each day and come out at the end of it slightly better financially and one day older.
But what about leveling up in life? Should I be satisfied with the status quo? Should I save the exciting experiences I have for my once a year travel vacation? We all have 24 hours in a day, so how is it that some people can continue to grow and improve while others don’t? How do I level up in my life?
I think it’s important to focus on the activities the help you level up. This is a combination of study, activity, and new, sometimes uncomfortable, experience. It can certainly come serendipitously, but I think that it’s more effective to have some kind of a leveling up plan and then following it.
I haven’t ever been much for setting very detailed goals, I kind of more generally know what I want to do, and make sure I move in that direction, being open to short cuts and detours along the way, and making sure I continue to progress in the direction I want to go.
Sometimes, though, it is necessary to set a goal and plan for doing a specific difficult activity at a specific time in the future. By doing that, the preparation toward doing the activity creates the study and task list necessary to reach that big goal.
For example, I know I want to be better at building electronic things, so I have set a short term goal of getting my technician ham radio license. Longer term, I want to have a basement electronics workshop and the ability to make more complicated stuff. I am planning on taking that ham radio test this month. By doing this, I gain knowledge, experience, and a certification, all which are aspects of leveling up.
A friend of mine is planning on doing well at an upcoming athletic competition. This competition is on a specific date, and since she wants to do really well, she has put together a specific training plan to let her reach her goal. These are the types of things you need to do to get better.
My point is it is not the daily repeating activity that you do that gives you the opportunity to level up in life. It’s specific plans, study, preparation, accomplishments, experience, and certifications that do. Make sure you set aside time to level up in your life.
Author: Rolf Versluis
Published at Priority Queue
