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The idea of using gamification concepts to improve life is not new. However, while gamification elements are used by most personal development apps, the ideas are not that prevalent that people consciously think about the concepts outside of UI or game design. I was fascinated by the application of gamification concepts since I read a book by Steve Lamb, called Gamify Your Life, years ago. I was a teenager back then and wanted to level up my life in a fun way, hence, gamifying my life sounded perfect. However, I couldn’t really get anything to stick and induce real change. I tried creating sophisticated task and reward structures with quests and boss levels and whatnot. It was too complicated and not well designed. Turns out, it needs a lot of tweaking until the fundamental gamification concepts can be applied successfully. ...

“It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent. There must be some wisdom in the folk saying, `It’s the strong swimmers who drown.” Charlie Munger There are two fundamental strategies for how to play a game. The first one is to beat the other player by actively scoring points. The second is to avoid losing points and waiting for the other to make mistakes. ...

We desperately seem to want things to be complicated. How do I lose weight? Is it by eating at the right time or the right macronutrient combination, exercising right before a meal, and doing some pushups while drinking at least two liters of water each day and supplementing with some pills and detox smoothies? Or is it by eating fewer calories than I use each day? The path to the most common goals such as health, wealth, and loving relationships is fairly clear and reflected in the consistency of fundamental advice in each of those areas. For example in finance: spend less than you earn. What about business? Create something enough people value at a price that sustains it and then some. People agree widely on the fundamental things one has to do to reach these common goals. But people don’t agree on the details, the hacks, and shortcuts they believe bring you there faster. ...

“It is man’s duty to live in conformity with the divine will, and this means, firstly, bringing his life into line with ’nature’s laws’, and secondly, resigning himself completely and uncomplainingly to whatever fate may send him.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca A core principle in the stoic philosophy is to focus on what you can control and accept the rest. There are two benefits to doing this Focusing on what you can control puts your limited resources to the best use because they actually have an impact. If you try to change the things you can’t control you will not get anywhere and waste your time and effort. It’s a keystone in the door arch to happiness. Obsessing over things you cannot change only makes you frustrated and sour. Accept what you cannot influence and attain peace of mind. We all know someone that keeps complaining about the same things repeatedly. They lament about the unfairness of it all, how difficult or impossible situations are and spend their (and your) time and energy on discussing this repeatedly. ...

There is nothing more important than understanding how reality works and how to deal with it. Ray Dalio, Principles Whatever you want to do in life it’s bounded by reality. You can challenge what’s thought to be impossible and reach for the stars, but ultimately, dreams and ideals are only as good as they are rooted in solid ground. Unfortunately, seeing things for what they are is not as simple as it sounds. Reality is often too complex for us to comprehend and we need a sound process to understand it better. ...