Fun

Fun keeps you engaged in a difficult activity. Even if you are not good at what your are doing,  having fun is important to keep you motivated and not giving into frustration. In the video below a running game was made with impossible controls. Yet the players are laughing their heads off as they watch each other try and fail. Failing was part of the fun. And they kept trying and kept trying and they were getting better as they made failing fun.

Find an activity that is fun. If biking is fun, do that. If you want to surf, well, you probably need to live near a coast. And if you do, and you fall in love with the ocean, surf. You will not be good at first, but have fun. Find what is fun and do that.

In your work towards a better you, remember to involve other people and have fun. Don;t be so serious. The work you do will lead to results. Relax and enjoy the journey.

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The Loop

Every game has a loop. A need is presented, the hero attempts to solve the need, there is a problem or conflict, the hero defeats or solves the problem, and there is a reward.

World of Warcraft was brilliant in creating interesting gaming loops. Some of the loops were short, 1 minute battles, and some of the loops are hour long raids with 20 other people taking on harder and harder boss monsters. There was failure in the loop, but the failure rarely made the player give up completely because the loop was fun, the rewards were great, and the player was given the tools to solve the problem.

When it comes to healthy living the loop is broken. The work is often hard, the time between rewards and effort is weeks or months, and the tools to solve the problem are often mysterious.

I propose the health industry needs a gaming loop. One that motivates “players” to move toward achieving health in a fun, engaging, rewarding, and with obvious steps.

Hungry?

Sometimes all I need is a reminder to not give up or give in.

To give myself the permission to define who I am and my own worth.

To deny someone else the power to define me and my worth.

To be hungry for an opportunity to prove myself instead of allowing the negative to dominate in my mind.

To understand strength is not a measure of physical perfection but a choice of the will.

Squad Goals

Fortnite, the free battle royal game, has taken over my house. In this game you and 100 other players are dropped onto an island via a party bus air balloon. You forage for building resources and weapons while trying to avoid or eliminate other players. The truth is I am very bad at this game. When there is combat I am nearly always the first one to be killed. The game for me just isn’t that much fun.

But that is not why I play. I play to spend time with my son. He loves the game and can’t stop talking about it. So I join him for a few games. We laugh about how bad I am and how he has to carry me on his back.

When we play together we have more fun than separately. And that is what it is like for making healthy life choices. You might not like it, but doing it together or in a SQUAD can make the changes easier, and even a bit fun.