For the primary time in 10+ years, I rewatched my 2012 TEDx speak:
“Nerd Fitness and Resetting the Game of Life.”
My first thought: “Whoa, Steve. These are some EPIC sideburns.”
My subsequent thought: “Daring selection with the striped shirt, denims, and flip flops!”
Then I gave myself some grace.
I’m deeply uncomfortable with the highlight. I hate public talking. It makes me wish to vomit each single time. I additionally don’t like being on digicam.
And but, I’ve concepts that I believe will help folks.
So I write and share my concepts. And generally, I power myself to get on stage. For this speak, I needed to take two buses by means of the jungles of Ecuador (the place I used to be dwelling on the time), after which take two flights to get to Atlanta.
I stayed at my good friend Kappy’s home, and the evening earlier than the speak, I made a decision to remain up and rewrite the entire rattling factor. That morning, I practiced my speak to his two canine, after which hurried over to Emory and simply went full YOLO and shouted my speak into the universe.
12 years later, rewatching this speak, I’ve ideas.
If you wish to make a journey down reminiscence lane, you possibly can watch the talk on YouTube, which surprisingly has over 100,000 views.
My Greatest Shock Rewatching…
It wasn’t as embarrassing as I believed!
Child Steve truly had some respectable concepts and was an okay storyteller! Particularly when you think about I had rewritten the complete speak 12 hours prior and was on zero hours of sleep. Oh, to be younger and naive once more.
That is the slide that cracked me up essentially the most, and I believe the one I wish to spend essentially the most period of time on:
All through most of my early 20s, I spent an unhealthy period of time taking part in video video games. On the time, I had satisfied myself that the video video games have been the issue. That they had turn out to be too addicting, too pleasing, they usually have been the explanation I wasn’t making a lot progress in my actual life.
The fact is one degree deeper. It wasn’t simply the video video games. It was that I didn’t have a lot life to sit up for. I didn’t like my job (promoting building tools), I didn’t have targets or issues in my private life to sit up for. So I escaped into video video games.
Older and wiser and with shorter sideburns, I’ve a greater understanding of human habits and my very own private struggles with procrastination and escape.
As specified by my good friend Nir Eyal’s ebook Indistractable, if we don’t tackle the basis reason behind distraction or escape, our brains will get superb at discovering one more factor to get hooked on!
In different phrases, should you can go one degree deeper as to WHY you’re procrastinating or avoiding actuality (presumably with the help of therapy) it may assist you get out of the rut.
As soon as I discovered one thing to sit up for (for me it was turning life into an journey online game like Zelda and EverQuest), abruptly video video games grew to become a far much less interesting use of my restricted free time.
As of late, I nonetheless play video video games recurrently (I simply completed Fallout 4), however I now know extra.
When video video games take over an excessive amount of of my life, it’s most likely as a result of I’m avoiding confronting the fact of an issue in life.
Possibly I’m scared to get again to work on my secret-book-shaped venture, as a result of I fear it’s not adequate. Or possibly I’m avoiding an uncomfortable dialog or addressing an actual downside in my life.
So, the answer isn’t unplugging the Ps. It’s addressing the issue I’m truly working onerous to keep away from.
It’s higher to know why I’m procrastinating as an alternative of simply blaming it on video video games.
How’s My Epic Quest Going?
In my speak, I speak about my Bucket Listing, which I renamed my Epic Quest of Superior. For a superb 8 years, this was an enormous focus of mine.
Actually incomes expertise factors for carrying out quests in actual life.
I did this after exercising around the world and dwelling 14 months of adventure travel.
I even received a ebook revealed about turning life right into a recreation, Degree Up Your Life, again in 2016. I not too long ago reacquired the rights to this ebook, and I’m hoping to place out a Model 2 within the coming yr.
(Because of this you possibly can’t purchase it now, sorry about that!).
12 years later, life is a bit totally different.
When you’ve been studying this article for the previous yr, you may need seen a theme: acceptance and self-compassion.
I’ve modified my perspective on targets.
I had run myself ragged for over a decade, constructing Nerd Health, giving as a lot as doable, chasing the following purpose. Every purpose led to the following purpose. Every dragon slain required me to go discover one other dragon.
It grew to become an countless loop of perpetual “extra extra extra.”
And ultimately I noticed that I had gotten fairly far-off from what truly made me glad.
These previous few years, I’ve determined to dwell a bit otherwise.
As an alternative of huge long run targets with dramatically organized plans, I’ve narrowed my focus to: “How can I’ve a superb day right this moment?”
I dwell as if I will NEVER “get there.”
I nonetheless have targets, and I nonetheless have issues I hope to perform in life.
I’m simply taking part in a unique recreation than I used to be at 28. I believe this “life is a recreation” philosophy served me nicely on the time, and I believe now I’ve added just a few additional doses of actuality to how this performs out.
For anyone caught in a rut, and escaping an excessive amount of into digital worlds, I believe eager about life like a online game is usually a fairly enjoyable method to try to get away of that rut.
It may not work for everyone, however I believe having issues to sit up for, and targets to work on, after which discovering methods to make tiny bits of progress will help.
I cowl this in an article referred to as “A Nerd’s Guide to Success and Happiness” which nonetheless holds up!
Somewhat little bit of nuance and perspective can go a great distance when gamifying life!
Wading into the Remark Part…
I made the perilous option to wade into the cesspool of the web:
The remark part on my video.
I used to be shocked to see that 95% of the feedback have been tremendous optimistic!
There was one remark although, that supplied me a novel alternative to do one thing I’ve all the time wished to do.
Show anyone improper on the web.
In my speak, I discussed that I hoped to at some point deadlift 400+ kilos. I grew up scrawny and weak, and I later realized that I’ve spondylolisthesis, which implies two of my vertebrae don’t line up.
For the previous 15 years, deadlifting has been my favourite train. It’s the motion that has made me really feel essentially the most robust and empowered.
I went and located a video of myself from 2018, the place after 6+ years of devoted, sluggish progress and deal with getting stronger, I deadlifted 420 kilos at a body weight of 172 lbs. No belt, straps, and double overhand grip too!
And sure. 12 years later, I HAD to answer and let the man know I did it.
Not gonna lie, it felt good proving a random web commenter improper! Hahahaha
Petty and pointless? Yep!
Satisfying? Very.
Two Buttons: Energy and Reset
I completed my speak with one thing that was much more highly effective than I had anticipated.
The unique Nintendo Leisure System has two buttons: POWER and RESET.
Within the recreation of life, we get to hit the facility button as soon as. It activates after we’re born, and it turns off after we die.
However we even have a possibility to hit the RESET Button. If there’s a thought or id you’ve got that’s not serving you, or some facet of life that simply isn’t working…it’s okay to hit the reset button.
It’s okay to attempt once more, even should you failed the final time.
Bear in mind, our knowledge carries over, and we by no means begin again at sq. one.
Recreation on, my fellow nerd!
-Steve
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