There’s empowerment in playfulness, a realization that came to me quite late in life. I used to be very serious, thinking power came from structure, organization, and control. Power actually comes from balance, tapping into whatever you need in the moment, which can include lightness or even chaos.

When I was trying to bring back joy into my daily life, I became obsessed with this idea: it’s all just a game. Life is a game. Specifically, like a video game, and even more precisely, an RPG video game.

Bear with me on this one.

Your Goal Is to Level Up

Life and games are filled with quests and goals – both big and small. The whole point is to level up, so you can move forward. You’re not ready on day one to face all the challenges. When you start playing, if you don’t have the prerequisites, you’re going to lose: prepare to stay stuck, be annoyed, angry, impatient, and frustrated. At times, you might even want to throw in the towel, convinced that you’re done trying.

Until you create the right settings to defeat the bosses and unlock the next chapter. And it’s not necessarily easier; it’s quite the opposite. Things get harder, the obstacles tougher, but you’re better equipped to deal with them. As the challenges persist, your mind becomes sharper, your strategies more ingenious.

Once you’ve reached a certain point, there’s no going back to square one. You carry all your hard-earned wisdom and valuable assets with you, ready to face the next level, which, yes, might be more challenging, but also infinitely more intriguing.

Your Growth Is Rewarded

Just like in RPGs, where characters level up and gain new skills, items, or even unlock new realms, in life, we grow and develop through our experiences, learning new abilities and improving existing ones as we face different challenges. We build knowledge; we build resilience.

And just like players collect equipment and gear to improve their character’s stats and abilities, we acquire tools, information, and resources that enhance our abilities. Whether it’s educational degrees, professional tools, or personal growth experiences, the “gear” we gather equips us to face life’s battles and succeed in our personal and professional quests.

You Make Choices

In RPGs, players often face choices that can affect the outcome of the game. Similarly, in life, the decisions we make, from minor daily choices to significant life-changing decisions, shape our path and influence our outcomes. How we deal with priorities can totally change the outcome.

How we manage our resources is crucial to succeed and progress effectively – in a game, it’s health points, inventory, and in life, well, it’s also health, money, energy, relationships.

There are no such things as bad choices – you make decisions to progress in the game, and you learn from them.

You Build Alliances and Relationships

Speaking of relationships… this is a big one. In RPGs, players often need to collaborate with other characters or build a team. In real life, relationships and networking are crucial; friends, family, and colleagues can provide support, advice, and companionship, helping us overcome obstacles and achieve our goals.

Most battles you can’t win on your own. But the good news is, you don’t have to go on this journey alone. You can unite with others and become stronger than ever before.

But you have to choose wisely. Surround yourself with the right crowd, who will join forces with you and support you no matter what, and who you can share the celebration of victories with. Even better if they have a very different skillset than yours – you only can become invincible by combining your strengths and compensating for each other’s weaknesses.

When you look at it that way, it helps to really put everything into perspective. Instead of freaking out or throwing in the towel in the face of challenges, you’ll be like, “Oh yeah? Let’s play!” It won’t make the hardships disappear, but it will definitely help you view them with a more positive mindset and see them as opportunities for growth.