PRACTICE POWER

PRACTICE POWER

 Lately we’ve been discussing practice and the power you gain from it. We know that the most gifted/skilled people in the world didn’t just wake up and become great but yet it still feel like we greatly underestimate how much they’ve practiced. I think we underestimate practice so much because we still haven’t learned the true distinction between talent and skill.

 Talent is what you’re born with but skill is something that you develop. Skill is harnessed through the power of repetition . You may or may not know that I’m an artist and in order to be a GREAT one you have to draw EVERYDAY! I didn’t understand that until my senior year of college. I was finishing summer school and I would have so much time in the day I would start back the habit of drawing again. Fast forward to present day and there isn’t a SINGLE DAY where I DON’T draw. Of course masterpieces aren’t created everyday but the point is to do something until it become second nature.

 It’s just like Stephen Curry being a great three point shooter. He shoots the ball so much that eventually the ball has to go in furthermore, the ball have to go in at much higher rates the more he shoots the ball. Apply that logic to any talent you have and watch how skilled you will become.

MANAGE STORAGE

MANAGE STORAGE

 

Yesterday I was trying to do a number of tasks on my phone and computer. However out of all days the malfunction level was at an all time high. My phone was freezing up for hours and my computer was moving at a turtle’s pace.

I figured it was a memory problem but I was so selective with deleting stuff because I didn’t know when I would “need it”. In other words I was being a hoarder. Making the decision to massively delete a chunk of my data made me realize that same logic must be applied to real life.

 

In life we tend to try to do a million things at once with a million things on our mind, just carrying a whole lot of baggage we don’t need. Some people may still be holding on to something that happened to them in middle school or even something that could’ve happened yesterday at the car wash. Like our devices, when we make the necessary clean ups and empty out the trash in our life we are able to move more fluidity and with clarity. Although, some memory is needed for daily functioning it’s ok to send some those to the recycle bin every once in a while. Thank You.

 

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TREAT LIFE LIKE A YEEZY SHOE

Not Like An Air Force One

Everyone knows that our time on Earth is limited yet no one acts like it. People constantly push things off (procrastinate) and don’t take the necessary risks it takes to live the life they dream of. Everyone treat life like it’s gonna always be here like a pair of chuck taylors, adidas superstars, or Air Force 1s. However our life is in limited supply, our life is like Kanye shoe.

Once a Kanye shoe releases you can give up on trying to purchase the shoe, unless you’re willing to pay a huge mark up. Much like, once a certain time has already passed it’s over unless you’re willing to put in the extra grueling amount of time to get what you were hoping to achieve. If someone wants to go back to school in their 60s it would be much harder to do it than it would be in their teenage years. For most the chance to get what they want never comes again and they miss out on it much like majority of people who want Kanye shoes miss out on their chance of snagging a pair.

Just remember when you’re treating life like you have all the time in the world, your clock is slowly ticking and if you don’t act in the now, you’d be spending the rest of your life playing catchup and that’s a price no one has to pay.

Do Children Have Life Figured Out?

Of course they don’t, they’re idiots who needs a lot of guidance and attention. However they do hold valuable keys to two of the most important things in life; money and creativity

Money

The privilege of a child is they rarely have to pay for anything. Which unconsciously program them to learn something business people already know…use other people money for more money. I noticed my cousin do something that I did as a child and that’s put away all the money I would get to let it grow over time. Children also benefit from another tactic adults are just starting to capitalize on more often….crowd-sourcing. Usually a child has their mind set on something specific they want since; they are too young to work they go to the next best method of asking anyone who’s around for money. Much like kickstarter children ask and ask until the goal amount for their purchase is reached.

Creativity

Children are gifted with vivid imaginations and aren’t afraid for being judged for what they like. They indulge into whatever they like wholeheartedly. Think back to when you were a child.. how detailed would your imaginary game of house would be or how well thought out your wrestling matches with your action figures was? Whatever it was you was always in tune with the present moment; which made you able to focus which in turn boosted your creativity.

Takeaway

Most adults get caught up in the simulation of life and learned behavior of their parents resulting in an extreme lack when it comes to money and creativity. Maybe approaching things from the view of a child could be the shift in your life you didn’t know you needed.

“I believe in myself like a five-year-old believes in himself. They say look at me, look at me! Then they do a flip in the backyard. It won’t even be that amazing, but everyone will be clapping for them.”

-Kanye West

DON'T BLOCK

Playing With Your Guard Down

One of the things I enjoy the most in my life is playing fighting games. I don’t know what it is but it just been a fascination and past time of mine since childhood. I remember while playing these games with other people there was always someone that constantly held the block button. The block button kept you protected from attacks but if you held it all day it would stall the flow of the fight. I’ve realized life can be like holding the block button. We keep up this shield of defense where cant be hurt/damaged and thinks that is helping us. By constantly doing this we go through life not experience any punches which leads to no growth.

However when we declared that we would just fight without blocking as much, the fights were much more enjoyable and we played twice as many matches. When you remove the block button from your life, you open yourself up to experience more and it doesn’t matter how much you get bruised you still continue to fight. It took me years to figure out vulnerability and not perfection is what really matters, hopefully it doesn’t take you that long. So remember a strong defense is an even stronger offense stay on the attack, take a few hits and get ready for the next battle.

GO TO THE LOCKER ROOM AND WATCH SOME FILM

More often than not there will be days in our lives when we will feel defeated and overwhelmed. During those states most of us becomes unsure and doubtful about what’s to come in the near future. What people tend to do is focus on the problem and not the solution. They rag all day on what’s wrong without considering what to do about it. However if you know like I know there is something you can always do about it.

When we see football and basketball players lose games you will always hear the players speak on watching film and trying to come up with a better strategy. Film in everyday life is simply analyzing the problem at hand and seeing clearly what went wrong and coming up with a way to fix it. If you’re overweight, can’t get that break you seek, or simply can’t get pass a certain level in a video game; if you just sit in the locker room(being your mental state of peace) you can begin to let the problem process and a solution will begin to formulate.

On the flip side, athletes are also known to watch film to analyze the strategies of their opponents…that is something you will NOT do. Film in your case is strictly focusing and zoning in on yourself. There isn’t enough time in the day to worry about others and yourself, you’re going to end up leaning towards one or the other. Studying your bad habits and shortcomings will lead to you knowing yourself and then learning to control yourself which will give you the ultimate power. So sure life is filled with tough games and blowouts and we can never get the time back to correct those mistakes, only the memory reel that will prevent those mistakes from happening again.

LIFE'S A PARTY

Two of my favorite video games are the Final Fantasy and the Kingdom Hearts series. They are part of a popular video game genre known as RPG (role playing game).

One of the key elements of a RPG is something known as a party. A party is a group of characters that goes on an adventure in the game. That concept is very much analogous to life being which we too are on a journey and many people are along for the ride. However a crucial point to a party in a RPG is that you can’t go through the entire game with the same party.

Different scenarios requires a different combination of characters. You may need a character that can open a door to a certain level, one of them may posses a key battle element, or simply one character may be cooler to have around than the other. In any case, life requires a slot swap just like a RPG because certain situations cause for certain people. It may be someone holding the group back so they have to get swap out or it may be someone who has the extra push you needed so they must get swapped in. An alternation is always required because life is a multi layered experience constantly increasing in difficulty.

Another key element for a party is a synchronization bonus. Meaning that a specific character combination causes a significant power increase that greatly benefit the player. Life’s synchronization bonus is most associated with people who come together that is on the same frequency/mission. When you have the extra support of knowing everyone around you shares the same mindset , it gives you (the player) an increased boost in ability to conquer uncharted territory.

Just like a RPG life has many roles for us to fulfill. It doesn’t matter the role we take as long as it is the right one for us and may we fulfill that role alongside the right people.

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.

WHY SEGA CAN'T GET SONIC RIGHT

My introduction to video games came from my mother. Our first game system that I can remember was the SEGA GENESIS and the games I loved the most were anything that had SONIC THE HEDGEHOG on it. My earliest memory serve me with feelings of excitement, thrill, and joy. The first few SONIC’s were basic side scrolling games but it was that simplicity that made it fun. And with the addition of bonus stages it made the game that much more compelling to complete.

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My next encounter with the great SONIC franchise would be on SEGA’s last console, the DREAMCAST. With the introduction of SONIC ADVENTURE. This franchise is what brought the series to its peak and combined the simplicity of the old series with expanded features that should’ve been kept in future installments.

Now it’s time to get to the nitty gritty, this is why SEGA can’t get SONIC right. SONIC ADVENTURE brought something new to the series actually it brought multiple things which includes; open-world gameplay, character upgrades,large playable cast, and mini games. SONIC ADVENTURE had a key element most people could not appreciate and that is character depth. It showed TAILS forging his own path to get out of SONIC’s shadow, KNUCKLES coming to terms with his life’s purpose, and even AMY learns how to become independent and not a Damsel in distress.

In the most recent installments of SONIC it seems that it had just been diluted to a children’s series and its legacy is only used to sell merchandise. The only redeeming thing about SONIC in the recent years has been his addition to the SUPER SMASH BROS. franchise and arguably “SONIC HEROES”. SONIC turning into a werewolf, KNUCKLES turning into The Terminator, and even having the characters subjected to hover boards showed a disrespect to the legacy which is SONIC.

If SEGA hopes to redeem SONIC and not just thrive off its nostalgia then the main focus shouldn’t be how much money can be made ( hard concept for publicly held corporations ) but how can they get the gamers to care about its characters and what would immense the players deeper into the world of SONIC. My eyes may never see SONIC returned to its former glory so I’ll just apply the JAY Z logic of “Niggas want my old shit buy my old albums”. *Turns on SONIC ADVENTURE*