Think of your life as a videogame.
Think of your life as a videogame
- Your paradigm = your map.
- Your map = sum of your experiences.
- Your experiences = your new unlocks.
- Your new unlocks = where you’ve walked, where you’ve driven, who you know, where you’ve eaten, where you hang out, etc…
The premise of Grand Theft Auto is simple: the more you discover in the city the more you unlock (ie. cities, vehicles, shops, garages, stores, car washes, etc…). Life I’ve realized, is the exact same (duh). Through the discovery of new routes or side quests, you slowly begin to expand your map. You encounter new people and develop new relationships, which further lead to new side missions, etc… Think of it as a flywheel for your life.
‘Your city’ is the reality you exist in now. The people you know, the food you’ve tried, the route you drive to work, the paths you go for walks, the places you meet up at, the hikes you go on…. If you don’t make a conscious effort to alter your routine, you’ll be limited to the map you currently know, without realizing it.
To get your “map to expand”, you need to start by making conscious choices to do the same things you usually do, but in a different way.
You’ll end up at the same destination, but by taking a different route.
You’ll become more self-aware. You’ll create new thought patterns.
By pushing yourself to the limits of your paradigm, you discover life-changing experiences. And the more you try, the wider your horizon expands.
When you go back to the place you used to live, you pick up where you last left off. Streets, people, restaurants, etc..
How to unlock your map:
- New experiences = new side missions = new unlocks.
- New routes = forced mindfulness = new thought patterns.
- If driving to work, drive a different route each day.
- If going for a walk, do the same distance but on a different path.
- Set your alarm 5 min before / after.
- Change the location where you eat lunch.
- Park your car in a different spot each day of the week.
- Schedule new activities 1x /week to force new experiences.
- Change where you hang out.
Bonus hacks:
- When you move to a new location, your map grows exponentially. Think of you starting over in the next version of the video game. You keep all the same perks (connections, material objects, money, etc…).
- GTA V = Los Santos
- GTA IV = New York City