Turn your life into a video game, level up and crush your goals while having fun doing it. Here are the cheat codes unlock massive success.

+++

Every Friday my kids have a standing appointment with their pops to get their asses handed to them at MarioKart.

It’s our little way to unwind from the week and bond by being competitive and having fun together.

I’ve been playing the MarioKart franchise since I was in middle school back in the 90s.

My buddy and I would sneak some Peach Schnapps (yeah yeah, I know) and would get buzzed while firing red turtle shells at each other.

No alcoholic beverages these days. My interns are too young.

Somewhere in my 20s and 30s I got caught up in the hustle and grind culture of always working (and burning myself out). And it was too childish to play video games.

I was supposed to grow up and grow out of it, after all.

But recently, I’ve been reinvigorated by the idea of gaming again.

I’m not too old for it.

It’s something that I really enjoy and makes me feel youthful again.

Playing a role playing game is like being involved in an interactive movie and it’s an escape from … well, I dunno … everything that’s going on right now.

My Interns (a.k.a., my kids if you’re new here) love playing Mario, Sonic, and Minecraft. And I love playing those games with them and sharing my passion for gaming with them, too.

About a year ago, when I was working through my massive burnout, I turned to my love of video games as one of the many ways to help.

Recovering from burnout is more than just resting and slowing down. You have to actively pursue additional ways to get your mind and body back to full speed.

• Walking helped.
• Mapping out a better way forward with my business and life to make sure I didn’t burn out again helped.
• But spending a few minutes every day to unwind and play video games took my recovery to the next level.

It was around that time when it hit me.

Life really is like a game

One in which I very much want to play to win.

And if I managed to gamify some of my goals, I’d have a system to keep consistent and hold me accountable.

I turned my life into a video game and it led to impressive results:

• I got into the best shape of my life at 44 years old
• Successfully pivoted my online fitness/nutrition coaching program to develop a personal brand and write about things like turning life into a video game
• Found more time to actually play my video games that had been collecting dust

Today you’re going to get the cheat codes to make things fun and enjoyable while still making progress so you can level up.

Let’s get into it.

+++

Why turn your life into a video game?

One of the biggest lessons in life comes from the simplicity of playing a tough video game level, boss or even one of those impossibly-difficult games (looking at you, Dark Souls).

It’s game over. Frequently.

But what do you do when the hit points are reduced to zero and you’re all out of lives? You try again.

In real life we give up way too easily.

• Didn’t lose 20 pounds in three weeks? This diet sucks, I quit.
• My social media post didn’t go viral in one day? I’m done.
• I don’t have 47 minutes to do the perfect self care routine? It’s not for me. I’m out.

If you’re serious about designing a better life for yourself, you’re going to have to embrace the setbacks and adopt an attitude that you’re going to keep showing up.

Because even after you turn your life into a video game, you’re still going to have to deal with the everyday suck of life (like slogging through annoying conversations with NPCs).

You can accomplish almost anything when you turn your life into a video game

Imagine 12 weeks from now and you’re waking up with some excitement. On a weekday.

You have a couple of side quests that you’re getting into today. Something new and invigorating that gives you a reason to want to actually do things on a random Tuesday.

And no, it’s not found in your Nintendo or PlayStation … it’s found in your actual personal life.

You’ll have a fun way to approach:

• Getting healthier
• Balancing better relationships with loved ones
• Learning new and interesting skills
• Practicing fun hobbies for your own personal fulfillment

Adopt a side quest approach and prioritize where you’d like to be and the actions steps to get you there.

When you do, you’ll find the time because you’ll start enjoying the process, looking forward to doing more, motivated to make changes and excited to wake up in the morning to play the game of life again.

Turn your life into a video game to spice things up

It’s like a personal little challenge to keep you on your toes and to provide a little intrinsic motivation to keep going and progressing towards your goals.

You’ll have a very simple system to keep score and hold yourself accountable.

Each day, aim to hit a score. Some days, exceed it; others, just reach it.

But as you get more comfortable with life as a video game concept, you’ll find more opportunities for side quests.

In role playing games, there’s always the main quest storyline which is basically what the game is about.

If you do nothing else, you should play and conquer that main story and you’ll have some fun.

But, real gamers know the magic comes from the side quest.

There are mini adventures that you can embark on that usually lead to massive treasures, new skills to level up your character and interesting story arcs that make the main storyline even more fun to complete.

As you get more comfortable on your main storyline of life, you should start identifying some fun and relevant side quests to level up.

For you that might mean that your main quest is to get into better shape this year.

So your video game of life is just finding more ways to be active, planning meals better and staying consistent with a strength training routine.

Then you get comfortable with your fitness regime after a few months and start feeling like you can do more.

Enter the side quest where you can add on a goal of running in a 10K.

Endless possibilities to have fun when you turn your life into a video game.

Here’s the step by step process to make it happen …

The step-by-step plan to turn your life into a video game

Turn your life into a video game and develop the mindset that you are going to keep plugging away at this thing until you finally figure it out.

It’s gonna be messy.

Some days you won’t have much time to get it all done.

You’re going to feel like quitting. But, don’t.

Because the only way around the obstacle is through it, my friend.

Whenever I’d look at fun newsletters, articles, blogs, or even youtube videos that explained how to turn life into a video game, I would get lost by all of the details and rules and restrictions.

All very nicely planned out. Good in theory. I really appreciated the concept and the energy of the idea of doing it.

But it was always just too much. It was like jumping into a massive diet with a bunch of rules and things I needed to think about all day, every day.

We’re going to make it easier for you to turn your life into a video game with simple scoring and minimal rules.

I think I figured out a simple system to do just that.

Play around with this and see how it fits your lifestyle and your goals.

Step 1: Create your avatar (what are your values and unique traits)

Every main character has their own set of unique traits (or attributes):

• Some characters have magic at their disposal
• Others are super strong
• Sonic the Hedgehog runs super fast

It’s those special attributes that boost your ability as the gamer to win the game.

You are the same.

Perhaps you’re creative.

Or you have a knack for networking and connecting with others.

Maybe you’ve got this ability to build things with your hands. Awesome.

Write everything down that you are really freaking good right now.

You want to use these attributes to your advantage.

Step 2: Visualize the journey ahead

What is your story? Your overall goal? The treasure you must capture?

Is your life really just a boring every day slog and you need a jolt of fresh energy to kick it up?

Maybe you just need a bit of accountability and you’re looking for a simple system to do that whilst having some more fun.

Where do you want to be in 10 weeks? A year from now? Write down your goals.

You are 42-percent more likely to achieve those goals if you physically write them down.

This is going to be your main storyline. The main quest of the life you’ve turned into a video game.

Mine …

• To break free from hustle culture
• Work less and play more
• Be healthy and strong physically for the rest of my life

And I’m utilizing my unique character traits as a writer, content creator and coach to develop my unstoppable avatar that I plan to continue leveling up well into my 90s.

What do you see for yourself in 20, 30 or even 40-50 years from now?

How can you take advantage of your unique skill traits and attributes to get you there?

What does beating the game of life look like for you?

Write it down.

Step 3: Identify the big baddie

You are the hero of this adventure. But who is your antagonist? Who’s the evil doer that is getting your way?

It might not be a specific person (or a monster) like an actual video game.

Maybe it’s a concept that falls into one of the five staple pillars for a more fulfilling life:

• Health
• Wealth / Career
• Learning
• Relationships
• Fulfillment / enjoyment

The big bad enemy boss in my life is hustle culture. I refuse to be plugged in and working all day, everyday until I burn out again.

Where do you need to improve the most right now?

Get really freaking clear on this one because you’ll need to make this your priority going forward (at least for the next month or two).

Step 4: Prepare for the adventure

What side quests must you take on over the next 12 months to actually improve? Map them out. Do you need to …

• Create a better workout routine (I happen to know a guy who can craft a minimalist plan)
• Get more consistent on your diet
• Actually sit down to start writing
• Find a mentor like Gandalf to hold you accountable

Determine the tomes you must find to acquire more knowledge:

• Books
• YouTube videos
• Newsletters
• Courses

There are tons of free and affordable side quests to help you level up. Find them.

Step 5: Advance from tutorial hell (a.k.a, figure it out)

Video games ditched the old school instruction manual. Now they open up with a tutorial mode for the first hour or so of gameplay.

This is like you buying courses or self-help books.

They are fine … as long as you take the info you’ve learned and then actually apply it.

Once you learn what to do , it’s time to start actually doing it.

How many times have you caught yourself in the endless loop of buying and reading a self-improvement book, then immediately jumping to the next one without ever applying what you’ve learned in the first book?

Don’t do that.

Get out of tutorial hell.

Start applying what you’ve learned.

Step 6: Create a practice

You must develop a routine to consistently work on your side quests to level up.

Otherwise, you will atrophy like a muscle that doesn’t get any work.

I commit to at least 15 minutes in each skill block every day as part of my WISE Framework:

• Wellness (physical, nutrition and mental health)
• Improvement (personal growth and learning)
• Social connections (fostering and nurturing better relationships)
• Enjoyment (fulfillment and entertainment)

Whatever that regular practice looks like for you, just make it consistent.

It’s like level-grinding to build up the strength of your character for future/more difficult boards.

Step 7: Build up your skill points

This is how you’re going to build in some self-accountability towards your overall goals.

While writing down your goals makes you 42-percent more likely to achieve. But adding accountability boosts that likelihood to over 60-percent.

Let’s keep it simple, though.

Your major pillars (or your main quest) are your priorities. Every time you complete a behavior or habit in those pillars, give yourself 25 points.

Your daily goal therefore is to amass 100 points per day (25 points per four pillars equals 100 total points for the math challenged).

If you’re taking on an additional side quest, give yourself five or 10 points for those additional practices.

At the end of the week, add up your total points. See if you can match or beat your score next week.

Remember, we are never striving for perfection. Life is too crazy to be able to nail this perfectly.

On days where the schedule is crazy and life is too much, find a way to keep the momentum going with micro wins (learn how to apply micro wins to your life here).

Here’s a quick example:

Every day, you should be doing something to satisfy your big pillars (remember the WISE framework from Step 6).

You can choose a quick daily workout routine for health.

Check in on a course module or chapter of a book for improvement.

Engage in one meaningful conversation with someone today by simply sending a nice email or even text message.

Spend 15 minutes reading for pleasure.

That’s your 100 points right there.

And if you’ve got some side quests to achieve, (maybe practicing handstands or writing a book), you’ll give yourself an additional 10 points for each behavior you practiced that day, too.

That’s just an example. You can get as creative as you’d like with a scoring system to keep you engaged, motivated and to hold yourself accountable.

Test things. Have fun with it. We’re turning your life into a video game not into a 27-page dissertation on chloroform or something.

Step 8: Level UP and prepare for battle

As our video game heroes continued to amass experience and skills, the character improves. You are going to notice the same thing.

Suddenly it’ll feel easy to write that one page or perform that 15 minute workout.

Eventually you’ll be ready for tougher, more rewarding and more fulfilling challenges.

Just like in strength training, a muscle grows when it is challenged with enough stimulus (resistance training) to encourage that growth. Your skill set requires the same thing. Make sure you are are always challenging yourself, never settled for stagnation.

Find that sweet spot for a challenge:

• If it’s too easy, you’ll get bored and quit.
• If it’s too difficult, you’ll get overwhelmed and then quit.

Find your Goldilocks range that’s “just right” to challenge and motivate you for the long term.

Remember, discipline is like a ladder.

You start on the bottom rung with the easiest behaviors and then slowly up the difficulty as you get more consistent with that new habit.

Make sure you’re always progressing as you improve your skill set.

Step 9: Slay the dragon (a.k.a., achieve your goal)

All of the knowledge in the world won’t mean a damn thing if you don’t take action to save the known universe.

I’m a completionist by nature.

In other words, I can’t leave a game and start another without first slaying the big boss.

You might want to juggle a few things at a time (nothing wrong with that) … as long as you do take action towards seeing it through to your potential.

It’s your job to keep showing up. And when things get difficult, it’s not game over for good. You just need to figure it out, hit the reset button and try again.

Make this your life’s work to keep trying until you achieve victory and slay the beast.

TL;DR: The cheat codes for turning life into a video game

If you’re in your 40s and have been gaming for as long as I have, you’ll remember the cheat code that worked across all Konami games:

“Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start”

Unfortunately, we don’t have cheat codes like that for life. There’s no “easy button” or beginner mode. You’re going to have to figure a lot of this stuff out.

But hopefully you now have a simple way to gamify your life and goals so you can win.

Here’s the step-by-step refresher course to turn your life into a video game:

1. Create your avatar
2. Visualize the journey ahead
3. Identify the big baddie
4. Prepare for the adventure
5. Advance from tutorial hell
6. Create a practice
7. Build up your skill points
8. Level UP and prepare for battle
9. Slay the dragon

Congratulations!

You’ve now crafted a dual-wielding mage-warrior that’s ready to slay a damn frost dragon.

Now it’s time for you to get dialed in.

Hit the power button and get started.

I hope you found this useful. If so, I’d appreciate it if you sent this newsletter to one person you think would benefit from my writing today.

And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “turn life into a video game” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Until next time,
Pete