Creating Power-Ups in Real Life

Remember when you would play video games as a kid and how your main character could gain special powers (power-ups) as you progressed??

In Super Mario Bros, a mushroom would increase Mario’s size, a flower would allow Mario to shoot out fireballs at enemies. In Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic could jump on power boxes to access a shield that gave him unique abilities. One would allow Sonic to breathe underwater, another to protect from flames, another acted as a magnet for collecting rings.?

These power-ups allow our main characters to do things that they normally wouldn’t be able to do - maybe jump further, shielded from damage, etc. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could have our own power-ups in real life? Sadly we won’t (and you shouldn’t) be able to eat a flower and gain the ability to throw fireballs but we can define, create and activate power-ups that help us overcome challenges that we might face in our lives.

So you might be asking, what is a power-up? A power-up is any action that you take that creates a moment of pleasure or happiness. You collect a power-up as something you want to try. You activate the power-up by actually doing what you want to try in real life.

Think of it as a special boost that will enhance your abilities and help you overcome challenges in your life. Just like in a video game, it boosts your motivation and provides you with new skills and opportunities to level up in real life.

If you’re having a hard time coming up with power-ups, use the following as starting points:

• What food(s) makes you feel energized?
• What picture or video always makes you smile?
• Is there a daily habit that makes you feel better when you do it?
• Is there someone you call or message when you need a pick me up?
• A daily mantra that you read or look at each day to motivate you?
• A physical exercise that gets you pumped?

Come up with a list of 3-5 power ups now.

After coming up with your list, try to activate at least 2-3 power ups each day. Make them a daily ritual similar to taking a shower or brushing your teeth.? It’s also important to keep collecting new power ups. Once you start, you’ll mentally start noticing new power ups as you go about your day.

One of the best parts of power-ups in games is seeing what they do. Feel free to experiment and try new power ups in your life to see how well they work for you and replace power ups that aren’t working for you anymore. Just like in a game, not every power up will last forever so it’s important to keep collecting more and refining them based on what's working best for you.

Which power-ups are you currently using? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

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Thanks for reading and I’ll see you again soon.

~V

The Hustler’s Mindset