Ten Things I’ve learned in the last ten days:

As a 28-year-old who enjoys any free moment entrenched in hobby board games, I’m not sure I would be the first person I’d suggest you take advice from. Since you are here, though, I’m going to give it.

I’ll give a deeper background of who I am in the future (if there is an interest in it), but for this post, I am someone chasing their dreams. I’ve been doing it for more than ten days at this point, but the title sounded sweet, so I’m sticking with it. Below are ten things I’ve taken time to reflect on that are probably no-brainers but are ten things I still want to take the time to acknowledge since committing to the chase.

Your brain is powerful.

It can be the most motivating tool and the biggest roadblock. Acknowledging that has helped me continue to build off of the positive momentum with things falling into place. It has also helped me “come up for air” when feeling stuck or lost.

Thinking three steps ahead is good, but don’t forget about taking the first step.

Having a plan of what I want or need to do has been great in keeping me focused on moving forward, but taking that next step has helped me keep moving forward. 

Keep track of your thoughts outside of your brain.

Whether it’s a game mechanic stuck in there or knowing I need to switch over the laundry, I have found using a tool other than my brain to record these “ping pong ball” thoughts has allowed me to focus more and not forget.

Listen to your gut, not just when it’s hungry.

If your gut is telling you something, I’ve often found it's right. Whether I’m distracting myself with “busy” work that isn’t effectively moving a design forward, or trying to find an excuse not to go to a networking meet-up, my gut usually is on top of knowing I’m not doing what “I should be.”

Create a Schedule and stick to it.

Before having my “off-days” scheduled, I used to be stuck with the thoughts of “how am I going to finish my business plan, create the board game one sheet, write a blog post, reach out to playtesters, AND go to the bathroom all in the next 2 hours???”. Time block has helped loads with creating that order and the discipline to follow through. This has helped me not only make sure I have time to do things for building my business but has also helped give order to all the items “I know” I need to do.

Failing is part of the journey.

I’m not comfortable talking to myself on camera…. Yet. I know it will be a great tool I need to learn, but I was putting it off for so long… My youtube channel is up; I talk live to myself once a week. Those failures are going to pay off.

Learn from every moment.

It is essential to see if you can find something you can pull out of every moment you are in. Sometimes those learning moments are from introspective thought. Continuing this process of reflection has helped me feel like everything I do is building to something (I know that one sounds corny, but it sort of ties back into the positive thinking mindset)

Passive Patience is bad

Learning the difference between Active Patience (I know recording myself on camera isn’t perfect right now, but over time as I continue to work on it, it’ll improve) and Passive Patience (I’m going to wait until I’m comfortable talking to the camera before I post my first video) is huge. One creates an understanding of acceptance while allowing you to move forward. The other makes an excuse.

You are not alone

When you are transparent about your dreams and what you are working towards with others, you will quickly realize how many people want to support that. Also, your dream is probably also that others are working towards and talking about it online. Look for those people and engage in conversation with them. You can learn a ton.

Be courageous, not comfortable.

This last one I’m borrowing this from Gabe Barret. Getting out of your comfort zone and choosing to push forward when you feel you are stuck in a “comfortable” spot has been one of the biggest obstacles I’ve had to overcome. Gabe does a great job talking about this in one of his videos. 

Are there things you’ve learned in the last ten days that you want to share? Feel free to continue sharing the learning moments in the comments below.