Video Games were a core part of my childhood.

Specifically, Kingdom Hearts. 

Nothing beats the feeling of coming home from primary school.

Switching on that PlayStation, inserting that game disc and immersing yourself in this fantasy world.

It felt like an escape into perfection, a world where everything clicked seamlessly.

As I've gotten older, I’ve realized how so many elements of this game are relatable on a personal level and this extends to any other video game too.

How Life is like a Video Game

We each have a starting point that we don’t get to choose.

An avatar with no money, skills or experiences. 

As our character evolves, we gain new skins, access to different areas of the map and continually fulfill objectives until we reach the ultimate destination.

It’s very much akin to real life. 

Us, as the avatars have a predetermined starting point.

We’re born into a family with set beliefs, cultures and expectations.

Schooling gives us a general blueprint for life that we are supposed to fulfill.

We enter the workforce to gain some money while we also try to manage other areas of our life such as our health and relationships.

But for many of us, the game that we have been given feels rigged. 

Love doesn’t flow as easily, we get job rejections left and right.

We start fitness routines just to lose momentum and monetary gains are counteracted by unexpected expenses. 

It doesn't feel as fun, fulfilling and meaningful as we find in video games. 

The good thing is, we don’t have to play the game we’ve been given.

Instead, we have the ability to sculpt a new one  - a game that is in alignment with our individual goals and aspirations.

One that weaves together a blend of challenge, presence, fulfillment and growth.

So in this letter, I’m going to dive into a variety of interconnected concepts that work together, to help you win YOUR game of life.

So are you ready? Let’s begin.

Checkpoint 1: Confusion and Clarity.

Let’s Define those two terms.

Now the reason why I put these two concepts first, is because we need to overcome confusion by gaining clarity on our present life and identity.

Additionally, clarity on our future life and identity. 

Now this requires being willing to have an honest look at your current self and circumstances of life.  

This is integral, in order to laser in on the aspects of yourself that we aim to change, in order to align your future visions and shift your identity to match that. 

Another part of gaining clarity, is the ability to decide on what it is you want.

Your micro and macro decisions are the building blocks to constructing your future. 

For me, I did not know what I wanted to do at all.

I faced uncertainty and yet, I still made a decision to take the first step on exploring different things.

You can still initiate change by taking that first step. 

Our future visions can change as we evolve and that's okay.

You don’t have to have everything completely and perfectly planned out, as long as you have a general idea of what you want your future to be and initiating that journey, no matter what it looks like.

There are multiple exercises you can do such as crafting a vision board, making a life list of goals or making an Anti-vision list, to clear up what you DON’T want to make it clear for what you do want.

Now that’s covered, let’s move onto checkpoint 2.

Checkpoint 2: Beliefs and Mindset.

Our beliefs and mindset is fundamental to the long term success we have. 

This alone will dictate whether our achievements, the quality of our relationships and overall well-being will stand the test of time.

Without the proper belief system and mindset in place, we’ll be fighting against the nature of things, for reality is always mirroring back what we believe to be true about ourselves, others and other areas of our life. 

If our current mindset and self-image are out of alignment with our desires, we’ll be continually pushed back into our starting position, facing burnout, resistance and forced effort, which isn’t what we want.

This quote is everything.

Until we shed a light on our subconscious programming, we will leave it up to fate and displace our responsibility and power to external circumstances or conditions that will continue to leave us feeling dis-empowered.

So first, we want to identify what our current subconscious belief system looks like.

We then want to challenge those beliefs and plant new beliefs that will grow and flourish effortlessly for the new life we want to create. 

This step should not be overlooked, or else you’ll be spending the rest of your life in rage mode, tying to force things into place when it should be a natural process.

To identify your limiting beliefs, you can use the Downward Arrow Core Belief Technique or Self-Observation. 

After you have identified these limiting beliefs, you want to reflect on what the opposite of that belief is.

Once all of those are listed out, now we’re gonna program these new beliefs into your mind using self-hypnosis or meditation.

I personally sleep with custom affirmation tapes every night.

I also have a letter covering a 3 part meditative framework to master change that I’ve personally used in which you can read here. 

Use whatever technique you want to, build up your mindset and integrate these into your routine. 

You also want to make sure that you have self-care measures in place to regulate your nervous system, to rest and recover, while shifting self-concepts.

There may be instances where you could experience ego backlash, which is what happened to me so you want to be gentle and compassionate with yourself during this time. 

Checkpoint 3: Self-Education and Skill Acquisition.

The value of self-education is often overlooked yet it is this very thing that will open you up to a wide range of opportunities, people and possibilities that aren’t always found in the conventional education system. 

This is the golden age for information because of the advancement of technology that is just under our fingertips.

The trap that many of us fall into is that once we finish high school or university, we become stagnant with our education. 

We stop learning. 

Once you stop learning, you stop evolving.

Once you stop evolving, you stop living.

Leonard Sweet, encapsulates this in simple terms.

And yep, it's actually pretty scary if you think about it.

It’s like a flower that doesn’t get enough sunlight thus ceases to grow and blossom.

One of the best things you could ever do is invest in yourself.

Invest In your education, your skills, your health and with everything. 

I’ve personally invested money in therapy, life coaches, courses, masterminds and seminars.

I’ve put money into business ideas that have failed but still reaped amazing benefits from.

Every experience was an educational stepping stone. 

Your power lies in your education and no one could ever take this away from you. 

When you continually stack your skills, you become irreplaceable.

You widen your frame of potential to be realized and you become so unique. 

So what are you curious about?

What is a skill you want to learn? 

Want to speak Spanish? Download duo-lingo.

Want to solve a rubiks cube? Learn on YouTube.

Want to learn how to dance? Go to dance classes.

Dip your toes into a pool of endless possibilities and give it a try!

Checkpoint 4: Experience and Exposure.

Now’s the time to build experience and put yourself out there. 

One of the best things that I did was to act and fail fast.

I’ve tried a variety of paths - studying justice, HR, banking, small business, drop-shipping, eCommerce and more.

If I had not exposed myself to those experiences, I would not have gained the clarity that I hold now, which is the realization that these careers were not in alignment with what I wanted.

And that's good.

I’ve encountered skeptics in my life, who shared their doubt or disappointment, because of the fact that I kept trying all these different things.

But I don't regret any of it, for it was these very things that made my vision clearer by the second.

By taking action and testing it out, you free yourself from wasted time and mental doubts. 

It’s all about trying, learning and re-framing failure in a way that you can win. 

My first YouTube video was a video of me shuffling at 6 years old.

The description says, “This girl wants to be on YouTube”.

It took me 16 years to get over my fear and to just start posting videos again.

Why wait that long? 

Unfortunately, there's plenty of us who also hold a dream in our head but hold ourselves back from testing and experiencing it. 

One of the top regrets that has been researched in geriatric patients was the fact that they wished they had taken more risks and that they wished they had lived their dreams. 

So don’t leave all these ideas in your head.

Test it, take action and experience firsthand what it’s like and then you’ll find out whether it's for you. 

The results? Clarity and the gift of time. 

Checkpoint 5: Pursuit and Presence

There is a delicate balance between actively pursuing our goals and being fully present within our own unique life.

In this game of life, there’s going to be moments where an imbalance of one thing may be necessary, depending on your priorities and goals. 

Maybe relationships are on the back burner for now, because you’re focused on building a business.

That's fine.

Schooling may take center stage and thoughts of earning money may be in the background.

Perhaps you’re at a season now where you’re more established in all areas of your life but lacking presence and that's okay too.

Many times we face suffering from believing that all humans are supposed to follow the same path and we measure ourselves by false metrics that fosters comparisons towards one another, causing us to feel inadequate.

The beauty of this game of life is that we’re all playing our own video games.

We’re pursuing personal goals and staying engaged in our own lives.

Nobody else’s. 

If you struggle with being present in your own life and comparing yourself to others, you can also read this letter to help you navigate through that. 

With this in mind, the essence of a fulfilling, meaningful and fun life, lies in the dance between pursuing a goal and being present while doing so. 

We are goal-oriented beings that hold a spiritual essence. 

Meaning and purpose is attained through pursuit of goals, a sense of direction and achieving them.

Fulfillment and peace is attained through gratitude and fully experiencing the present moment. 

To expand on this further, here’s a letter on the fine line between pursuit and presence that you can read right here. 

Checkpoint 6: Persistence and Trying your Best.

Persistence and devotion to the unseen vision, is what will keep you moving forward, whether that be in health, wealth or relationships.

Putting faith in a higher power, be it God, the universe’s unfolding or whatever you believe in, trusting the process and trying your best, is the singular thing that will ground you throughout this game of life. 

You only have this one chance of life.

Don’t give up on yourself because you deserve everything you want to experience and more.

Life is a video game and your character, your experiences, perspective and decisions you make dictate the destination and outcome of your life.

Life doesn't have to be rigged.

It can work out in your favor, however you are the one that has to make that choice.

We only get to play this game once, so might as well embrace it fully, try our best and make it the best game you’ve ever played. 

Love,

Clarity.