HOW PLAYING SUPER MARIO 64 TAUGHT ME PATIENCE

Growing up my one of my favorite video games was Super Mario 64. The previous entries were always fun but when the open world element came into play and the better graphics (at that time) showed Mario in his full glory I was hooked. However I never thought a game from my childhood would come back and teach me a valuable lesson about a virtuous Trait.

You can always come back to it. I revisited Super Mario 64 last year and before then it was YEARS before I played the game. A lot of games came and went but I always remembered how I didn’t beat it and I told myself when I got the chance to play the game again I would with no hesitation. Similar to life whatever you seek to accomplish there is going to be at least one more time when you can come back to it. Whether it is finishing school, joining a sports team, or entering some type of competition if it’s in your spirit to finish it , it will get done.

You won’t get everything on your first try. Super Mario 64 came out in 96' and I probably didn’t play it till 98'. In either case, I wasn’t even ten yet so I was surprised I got as far as I did in the game. It wasn’t possible to beat the game at my age then, all the concepts was for too much for me to grasp. Again in life some things can’t accomplish until you’ve reached a coming of age and a certain maturity. Your lack of experience/knowledge blinds you to certain things happening to your environment and it is only when time has passed that you can see what was hidden in the dark clear as daylight now.

The journey really is the fun part. After reaching a point when I can come back and finish my initial goal to finally beat the game I found myself enjoying the game like never before. I was still amazed at the creativity that went into the levels, I deeply immersed myself into the universe of the game, and I saw Super Mario from a whole new perspective. When I finally beat the game I felt satisfied knowing I was given a full experience. Many people (including myself) want to skip to the part of life where the game is beaten and you can enjoy the fruits of your labor all day long. If you did that you would miss out on the happenings that surrounds you, the rush that comes with completing tasks that further your goals, and the various places that you end up along the way. Like Super Mario 64, life is a one player game where you decide everything you do just don’t decide to give up.