If life were a video game, every year we’re alive would move us up a level in the game of life.
If life were a video game, I’d be aiming to reach level 100, the end of my game where I bow out a champion with a glorious, celebratory bang.
Cue video game music and onscreen fireworks!
If life were a video game, there’d be a range of hacks and strategies for gaining as many points as possible on each level so you’d be assured of getting to the next level.
Except that in the game of life we can’t fast track to the next level, nor can we skip levels, or go back to earlier levels! There’s no guarantee you’ll get to your desired last level.
All we know is that when the game is over… it’s over.
If life were a video game, I’d currently be on level 47.
Stick with me on this as I share my hacks and strategies, gathered over the course of my previous 46 levels, and what will surely serve me well to finish my remaining levels strong (how ever many I may have left).
Lifestyle and longevity
It’s a long game and if current research is anything to go by, the game can get deliciously longer for those who take good care of themselves.
Gone are the days when people retired at age 60 and were lucky to live 5 or 10 years longer.
We’re now presented with the very real prospect of not only living to 100, but doing it with strength, vitality and independence. Dan Buettner’s 20 year long research into the world’s Blue Zones (where a high proportion of the population live until age 100) is finally getting the mainstream attention it deserves and for good reason.
Making relatively simple lifestyle changes (predominantly plant based diet, regular exercise, positive relationships, active in community, living with faith) is proven to extend the lives of men and women by years, sometimes decades even when those changes are made relatively late in life.
To give yourself the best chance of reaching the highest levels and spending many long years in great health and loving life, hack your lifestyle habits and reap the rewards.
Play with community
The game of life is not played in isolation. You’re part of a community and the more connected you are, the better you’ll play.
You’re likely playing with several communities: family and friends, work, school, sport, faith, volunteer groups.. and each of them is rich with opportunities for learning how to best play the game of life.
Interacting with community is not only heaps of fun, it’s what helps us learn the rules of the game of life, builds our resilience for when the game gets hard and provides a soft landing of support for when we feel beaten and want to give up.
Any person with success in the game of life will tell you they didn’t get there on their own, that it took “a village”, a crowd of cheerleaders, mentors, friends and teachers, each playing their part to help them build their dreams and see them come true.
Everything in my life I am proud of – from raising my children, to reaching Base Camp at Everest, to building successful businesses and growing a grass roots charity – is because of the people I’ve been fortunate enough to play this game with.
Just because you’re on a higher level doesn’t mean you have to look or act that level
Take care of your body – including your skin and hair.
Stay out of the sun, and use sunscreen every day, even if it’s just for travelling to and from work.
Exercise every day and maintain a healthy weight range.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you to “grow up” or “act your age” unless its because your behaviour is harmful to yourself or others.
Higher levels require improved physical strength
What got you through the game of live at level 20 won’t get you through at level 54.
At age 20 my physical exercise was dancing in a night club til dawn. I ate as little as possible unless I was hungover and heading for the KFC drive through. I had no concept of spirituality or longevity or life beyond age 25. And that was OK.
In fact, I didn’t start getting serious about longevity until about age 40, and that was only because I read Blue Zones and got curious and serious about longevity.
For women, it’s well documented that as we age and hit menopause our bone density reduces which introduces a hellish risk of fractures and other health risks as we enter the later years of our life.
For women and men, getting strong and staying strong is key to living independent, healthy and active lives beyond level 70.
So, grab some weights, find a you tube channel, gym or group fitness trainer and enjoy the epic feeling of strength and vitality as you continue to climb through those game of life levels.
Enjoy every level and what it brings
When I was 15 years old, all I wanted to do was be a grown up.
When my kids were toddlers I “couldn’t wait” until they were more self sufficient.
Now in my 40s I’m getting it that every level should be enjoyed as it is, and I’ve set aside the impatience to hurry life along so I can get to some perfect state of being and stay there until the game of life ends.
On my current level, I have 2 kids (young men) living at home. It comes with challenges (wet towels on the floor, messy bedrooms, mess everywhere!) but is also comes with great gifts such as chats about work opportunities, reflections on the changing world around us and the joy of seeing their big and little wins.
If you’re struggling with this, try tapping in to gratitude. Whether it’s through journalling or a meditation, take time out to be grateful for everything this level brings.
Make the most of every level. You don’t get to go back and do past levels all over again.
Legacy
Leave the level behind you better than it was when you got to it.. this is a shared landscape and if you can build other people up, make small or big improvements in the way things are done and take care not to leave a train wreck in your wake, the game is better for the people coming up in your shadow.
So, whatever level you find yourself on, and whether or not you’re happy about being there, remember these immortal words from Ferris Bueller…
Life moves pretty fast… if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.
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