Recently, I got myself a PlayStation 5 :)
Sounds nothing special, but for me, it was. Even though we played Fifa a lot in the office, buying one at home, was something I deprived myself of. The reason is, I thought, that it will take me too much time from doing more important things, from having quality time.
But in the meantime, I realized that without fun and excitement, nothing is worth doing. So to trick myself into the grey zone, I asked for it as a gift!
So two things happened: 1. I got into it for a few days and really spent 1–2 hours every night playing it. Which got less and less with time, but as with many things in life, I understood that to play alone, is no fun.
2. I started to spend a lot more time with my brothers, as we gathered to play Fifa and challenged each other with some crazy bets, which made it worth every penny! Even more quality time I got. :)
Again, invest in what makes you happy and amplify it with people you love.
But that’s not the point of this article, I want to share.
One of the first games I bought, was “The Witcher 3”, as I loved the Netflix Series. Still waiting to finish“The Dune” books, so I can dive into “The Witcher” books.
So in this game, you take the role of “Geralt of Rivia — The Witcher” and explore “the Continent” throughout the gameplay.
As this is a classical RPG (Role Play Game) you will have to build up your character, fulfill quests and fight all over the place.
The interesting part here are the quests:
They start with some never-ending side quests like finding a missing cat or an old frying pan for some old woman to gather experience and money and up to the main quests fulfilling your gameplay and killing the monsters.
And at one point after a few hours in the game, I found myself in an old village, going from one side quest to another. All in pursuit of being more prepared and getting better equipment before I tackle the main quest: Killing the Dragon!
The crazy thing was, the more time I spent on side quests, the more time I spent on side quests.
And with every fulfilled side quest, my confidence was reduced to a new low. I was avoiding the Dragon, because I wanted perfection. And by doing that, the Dragon became bigger and bigger in my head. And with every side quest, my desire to fight the Dragon, was diminishing further.
The game became boring, and I lost interest rapidly.
It hit me in a moment: I have become delusional in a Game.
I have created a parallel universe, in which I seek perfection for the sake of not losing time and progress, which made me lose excitement and fun. A negative sum game.
In the end, it was not even worth fighting the fucking Dragon, because the loop of perfection never ends.
With every challenge we don’t face, we let fear get into us. The problem you ignore fuels itself with your fear and becomes bigger, which leads to even more fear and let it become even bigger.
And that happens in life as well. It’s a Paradox, a never-ending cycle to pursue perfection.
The crazy thing, is I’m not like that in real life. When it comes to taking massive action, I’m the guy you call. I’m very hands-on and pragmatic to face the challenges and get a reality check as fast as possible, to improve through iterations. Act, Feedback, Improve.
But here no. Was this version of me, not me? Do I act like this also in other spheres of life? Have I mastered my professional me and let the other parts down?
So I faced the fucking Dragon, which turned out to be not difficult at all. Not worthy of a second thought. Maybe because I was better prepared, maybe because it was never a thing. But one thing I know for sure is, It could have been done much earlier and I would have had much more fun.
I think momentum is one of the most crucial things in life that we have, but it only builds up with focus.
Keep the eyes on the Dragon, don’t get fooled by side quests, and always know why you are doing what you do.
Now when we lose sometimes touch with side topics in meetings, I always refer to “Keep the eyes on the Dragon” that’s why we are here today.
Let’s finish the important stuff and then go after all the other things. Focus and momentum are one of the most powerful duo’s that we have in life.