You have now officially completed 50% of the game and, by doing so, have reached the halfway mark. Ranks like recruit, novice, hustler, warrior, and sage are now all things you've surpassed; you’re entering the last 50% of your journey to becoming your best self. You've now entered the elite ranks, and by doing so, you have no way of returning. Going the distance and completing the game by reaching the maximum rank and living a more fulfilled life is the only option you have. Congratulations! Your journey this far hasn’t been easy, and it won’t get easier. Rank 6: Elite is all about discipline. If you're reading this, you are the product of hard work, exercising, eating healthy, having a positive mindset, a routine, and most importantly, goals. All of these attributes combined show that you have discipline, but we'll put it to the test to see how much you want to win in life. The Elite Rank is nothing for weaklings! We all have strengths and weaknesses. Accepting your flaws isn’t easy, but it shows your discipline. Right down to things you are good at and right down to things you want to get better at, let's call the things you want to get better at your own personal "flaws". You can't overcome your flaws until you do. Look at what you've written down and eliminate them by taking actions towards eliminating your "flaws", one at a time, until the "flaws" you've written down have vanished. Discipline means you’re capable of making sacrifices over and over again.
Start prioritizing your goals over your feelings. We all have feelings and emotions, but sometimes they hinder us from doing important things. That’s why it’s important to start looking at value over feelings. For example, if you don’t want to go on a run, the value it holds is that it’s good for your heart, and sweating detoxifies, which is good for your skin. The next time you don’t feel like doing something, ask yourself what value the results hold. This task could also have been put in rank 5, Sage, but it's better placed here because it strengthens your discipline, and that’s what the elite rank is about.
This task might be the simplest so far. All this task requires is that you not lay down in bed until it's time for you to go to sleep. You have more important things to do than lie in bed. Don't think the next tasks will be as easy!
The next two tasks will focus on energy and the fact that you shouldn't mistake energy with motivation because there is a key difference. If you feel motivated to do something but have no energy, you're resting; if you feel energized but have no motivation to do anything, you can feel depressed. That’s why it’s important to manage your energy. That doesn’t mean you should work less, but rather be more efficient. Set yourself rest timers whenever you don’t have the energy to do something; the timers vary from person to person. Generally, I like to set myself 15–45-minute rest timers when I notice I can't concentrate anymore. These rest timers are perfect breaks for meditation or going for walks. Motivation comes from your brain; low energy, on the other hand, you can feel in your body whenever you feel tired or exhausted.
Focus on finishing tasks you have to do instead of accumulating them. Every time you do a task, you spend a certain amount of energy on it. That’s why it’s important not to swap tasks until completion. I like to look at it that way: you have 100% energy, you start a task, and based on how exhausting the task was for your body and brain, your energy lowers. If you now don’t complete the task that you've started, you only have, let's say, 80% left to do another task, while the task you've just started isn't even completed. So basically, if you leave a task open and start another one, the result is poor completion of the next task. Switching between tasks is more demanding than one might think. Don’t swap between tasks; actually complete them one at a time. This also applies for this game.
Practicing daily diligence is important, and just like any other skill, it needs daily repetition and execution to the point where it becomes habitual. The bigger the temptation, the harder it is to resist it, and the harder it is to tackle other things that are more important. Work on building your self-discipline through daunting tasks that are associated with your goal if this seems overwhelming and you don’t know where to start. Write a to-do list to help keep you organized. The goal is to push the boundaries of your comfort zone every day.
Creating new habits is important to overcome your inner self-doubt. It can be daunting, which is why you should start small, step by step. If, for example, you want to wake up earlier, start by waking up 10 minutes earlier each day until you've reached the time you're satisfied with. If you break down your goal into small steps, it's more realistic that you'll actually reach it. Creating new habits and breaking them down into small, doable steps is the 7th quest.
You need to prioritize some goals over others; that’s why you should create a study plan in order to keep your goals in check. Put the most daunting tasks first and prioritize them for the day. This will help you with procrastination, and you'll feel rewarded that they are done instead of putting them off for another day. A website or app I recommend for this task is "notion".
If you want to do something or have a goal in mind, tell a friend or a family member about it. That way, they can hold you accountable if you don’t do it. When it gets tough, you and the person you talked to can push each other to pull through with the task or goal you've set yourself. Sometimes, doing everything alone isn't the most efficient way to tackle your goals.
There is a saying," I can resist anything except temptation." Oscar Wilde (an Irish poet). Ask yourself, "What are your biggest temptations?" Simply removing the things that distract you from being productive enhances your workflow and productivity. Small things like turning off the social media notifications on your phone can help immensely. Elimination of distracting things from your environment is the goal of the final task of rank 6, elite. Well done! You are now on the right path toward being a more disciplined person. By completing this task, you show how determined you really are to live a more fulfilled lifestyle. Very well, I shall talk to you in the next rank.