TL;DR: Stands for too lazy ; didn't read. This one is a bit longer than my other articles. Read it. There's some important stuff in here.
For those of you who know me well, I am extremely passionate about investing in myself. I spend every bit of extra time and money that I have on doubling down on my own body and brain. I've learned over the years that this is a mentality common among athletes, but somewhat rare in the game industry.
What do I mean when I say "invest in yourself?" Simply put, it's putting time/resources into improving the key aspects of your life, which Tai Lopez categorizes as health, wealth, love, and happiness.
I recently had the opportunity to travel to London and meet with two amazing people I look up to: Brian Rose (host of the London Real podcast) and Dan Peña (known as the 50 Billion Dollar Man). If you're not familiar with either of their work or the kind of intensity that Dan projects, you can check out a trailer for the event that I attended here.
Dan is the kind of no-nonsense person that, through his intensity and passion, can help people get through the fear and laziness that's constantly holding them back. The event as a whole made me extremely uncomfortable, which is exactly what I needed. The last thing I want to do is become complacent. Traveling to London to have Dan push me beyond my limits was more than worth it.
Me with the host of London Real, Brian Rose (left) and the 50 Billion Dollar Man, Dan Peña (right)
It's so easy to get stuck in our own heads. So much so that we sometimes don't realize that we could be spending our energy on a thousand different and better things. I myself have been guilty of this many times.
How about you? Is your nose so close to the grindstone that you've gotten stuck in a rut? Remember that getting good at whatever it is you do involves a lot more than just practicing your craft and going through the basic motions of your day. You must increase your faculty in all of the key aspects of your life.
Why?
Simply put, there are thousands of variables that will determine our success, many of which are within our control. Putting in the time (and sometimes money) toward bettering yourself can put you so far ahead of the game in the long-term. There are plenty of wealthy people who are unhappy, or healthy people who are unwealthy, for example. I highly doubt you want a life that skewed toward just one of the four key areas.
Here are some ways/ideas to invest in yourself:
Learn a new instrument, synthesizer, piece of software, etc.
Take a class or online course in a new subject
Go to conferences/seminars
Cut out the negative people in your life
Read/listen to a book, find great podcasts, watch TED talks, etc.
Exercise
What does any of this have to do with game audio? Everything. We're so focused on getting good that we don't realize that there's more to success than just being excellent at creating music/sound. Do you want to feel more comfortable in social situations? Start practicing social skills, find a coach/therapist, or take a class. Do you want to get fit? Start finding a movement practice that you enjoy doing consistently. And on and on. It sounds so simple, but very few people really bother to push themselves.
In the end, it's completely on us to make ourselves better. And it's extremely easy to just lay back and binge watch shows on Netflix until the end of time.
Take the time and, if possible, pay the money and invest in yourself.