Gamer in Life: Collecting XP
Are you a person who enjoys setting small goals to conquer? Do you enjoy escaping into another world to clear your mind? Does your life not always follow your plans? Would you consider yourself a gamer in life?
In life, and in the games to play, there are tiers of skill building that challenge us to excel and develop our character. We will meet times when we enter a stage not fully equipped to succeed but we try anyway. Sometimes, we must move away from our gaming or planned goals to admit defeat, but we feel determined to try again another time.
~What doesn’t kill you gives you XP ~
I never grew up as an enthusiastic video game player, but I was surrounded by people who were. Listening to their experience and seeing their determined efforts had me relate my life to a game. I, too, found different tiers to develop my skills and was tested unexpectedly to encourage more learning.
I remember many situations where I entered wanting to think that I was equipped but I found out that it wasn’t for me. Sometimes the attack from my ‘opponent’ injured me greatly and I could only choose to move on. These are the moments I look back upon and realize that what didn’t kill me gave me experience.
The circumstance of daily seizures dealt me a lot of uncertainty and injuries. Despite it not having been an ideal life feature, I’m grateful for the unique experiences that it provided me. I know that my situation could have killed me, but it didn’t. Knowing this, I’m amazed at having been trusted to experience wildness and all the lessons it offered me. When the going gets tough, I let myself imagine life as a game for learning. It lets me tone down the seriousness of the situation to stay open-minded and I can place concentration on building my XP instead of trying to control what isn’t mine to rule.
The perspective we take on in the moment of challenge greatly influences how we will continue. When life gets too serious for you, take a moment to relate to something more tolerable and open yourself to accept the situation. Embrace the defeat presented, be determined to continue another way and gather your experience. Let yourself get curious like the child playing video games and ask questions to discover more.
When the going gets tough and you can’t figure it out, let yourself surrender to not knowing. Save your energy for when you need it, trust that you’re on the right path and let it make sense when it’s time. Even the choice to surrender can help you collect XP.
Whether you consider yourself a gamer or student in life, whatever decisions you make and the paths you follow will offer you experience. Be open to taking some chances and dare to discover what life has in store for you. When the path isn’t what you envisioned, be grateful that you’re alive and collect your XP.
