Level Up Your Life

1. Transform your life into an epic quest and become the hero of your own story

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

Embrace your inner hero. By viewing your life as a grand adventure, you can tap into the same motivation and excitement that keeps you glued to video games or engrossed in epic stories. Identify your "origin story" and create an alter ego that embodies the traits you aspire to develop. This mindset shift allows you to approach challenges as quests and personal growth as leveling up.

Design your hero's journey. Draw inspiration from the classic hero's journey structure found in mythology and popular culture. Outline your own journey, including:

• The ordinary world (your current situation)
• The call to adventure (your goals and aspirations)
• Crossing the threshold (taking the first steps)
• Facing trials and challenges
• Transformation and growth
• Return with new knowledge and abilities

By framing your life in this way, you create a compelling narrative that motivates you to push beyond your comfort zone and achieve greatness.

2. Overcome excuses and embrace the hero's journey mindset

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Identify and conquer limiting beliefs. Common excuses like lack of time, money, or opportunity often mask deeper fears and self-doubt. Reframe these excuses as challenges to overcome:

• "I don't have time" becomes "It's not a priority"
• "I can't afford it" becomes an opportunity to reassess spending and find creative solutions
• "I'm too old/young/inexperienced" becomes a chance to prove doubters wrong

Cultivate a growth mindset. Embrace the idea that your abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. View failures as learning opportunities and setbacks as plot twists in your hero's journey. This mindset shift allows you to persevere in the face of obstacles and continually push your boundaries.

3. Harness gamification principles to unlock happiness and motivation

We all need more fun in our lives, and everything gets more fun and epic when we look at it as though the world in which we live has been built from the ground up with ourselves as the main character.

Leverage game mechanics in real life. Apply principles that make video games addictive to your personal development:

• Clear goals and missions
• Incremental progress and leveling up
• Immediate feedback and rewards
• Social interaction and competition

Focus on progress and flow. True happiness comes from consistent improvement and engaging in activities that put you in a state of flow. Identify tasks and hobbies that challenge you just enough to keep you engaged without overwhelming you. Set up your environment to facilitate these flow states and prioritize activities that contribute to your long-term growth and satisfaction.

4. Design your personal game world and create a leveling system

You are the character this story is built around, and everybody is pulling for you to succeed.

Build your game world. Create a set of rules and principles that govern your personal "game of life." This framework helps simplify decision-making and keeps you aligned with your values and goals. Examples of game world rules:

• Prioritize health and fitness
• Constantly seek new challenges and learning opportunities
• Cultivate meaningful relationships
• Give back to your community

Develop a personalized leveling system. Break down your big goals into smaller, achievable milestones. Assign experience points to different activities and create a clear progression path. This system provides a sense of accomplishment and motivates you to consistently take action towards your goals.

5. Build an antifragile body through functional strength training

From a fitness perspective, I'm in the best shape of my life—handstand push-ups, pistol squats, pull-ups, and a 405-pound deadlift.

Embrace antifragility. Train your body to not just withstand stress, but to actually grow stronger from it. Focus on functional movements that prepare you for real-world challenges:

• Bodyweight exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, squats)
• Compound lifts (deadlifts, squats, bench press)
• Varied cardio (sprints, hiking, swimming)

Create an adaptable workout routine. Design a fitness plan that can be completed anywhere with minimal equipment. This ensures consistency even when traveling or faced with unexpected circumstances. Incorporate progressive overload to continually challenge your body and prevent plateaus.

6. Nurture your adventurous spirit and travel strategically

Every quest is an opportunity to learn more, and then it's time to begin the journey home so you can start planning the next one.

Cultivate curiosity and wanderlust. Approach both local and far-flung adventures with an open mind and eagerness to learn. Seek out experiences that push you outside your comfort zone and expose you to new perspectives.

Travel hack and optimize your adventures. Maximize your travel experiences while minimizing costs:

• Use credit card rewards and airline miles for free or discounted flights
• Stay in hostels or use home-sharing platforms for affordable accommodations
• Eat like a local and avoid tourist traps
• Be flexible with your itinerary to take advantage of unexpected opportunities
• Connect with locals and other travelers for authentic experiences and insider tips

7. Make necessary sacrifices to empower your personal growth

I volunteered as tribute!

Identify growth-limiting factors. Assess your current lifestyle, relationships, and habits to determine what's holding you back from reaching your full potential. Be willing to make tough decisions and let go of:

• Toxic relationships
• Time-wasting activities
• Unhealthy habits
• Limiting beliefs

Reframe sacrifices as investments. View the things you give up as necessary steps towards becoming your best self. Recognize that short-term discomfort often leads to long-term growth and fulfillment. Stay focused on your larger mission and the positive impact your personal development will have on yourself and others.

8. Celebrate achievements while maintaining perspective on life's journey

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

Savor victories, big and small. Take time to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments along the way. This reinforces positive behavior and motivates you to continue pushing forward. Share your successes with your support network to create a sense of community and accountability.

Maintain gratitude and perspective. Remember that the journey itself is often more rewarding than reaching the destination. Practice daily gratitude for the opportunity to grow and improve. Stay humble by recognizing that there's always more to learn and achieve. Use setbacks and failures as opportunities for reflection and growth, viewing them as essential parts of your hero's journey.

Last updated: January 24, 2025