Cheat Codes for Life
Cheat code books circa early 2000’s
Do you remember those game cheat code books?
I had a stack of those old dog-eared paperbacks, corners bent and warped from use. I read them until the codes were seared on my brain, giving me the power to unlock secret levels, extra lives, and ways to alter the fabric of my games entirely. Friends would ask how I did it. Pure skill, I’d answer. But really, I wasn’t doing anything extraordinary — I was just playing around with what the books showed me. Exploring. Experimenting. Learning by doing.
You and I have the same thing next to us, right now. That blank notebook on your desk? Legal pad? Scrap of paper? There it is: your very own cheat code guide to life. Here’s how to use it:
Cheat code: Spend three or four minutes each day writing your future to achieve it.
Every day, spend three or four minutes writing about the version of your days you want to live. Not as a wish, but as an experience already you’ve already had or are having now.
Aim for present or past tense, i.e.
- “I leap out of bed, full of energy”
- “I’m widely respected in my community”
- “I finished six workouts this week — stronger than ever, already planning the next challenge.”
Don’t get caught up trying to make it perfect – just write. Jot it all down before thinking twice, then put the pen aside and move on with your day.
Emphasis on writing things down: the physical act of writing as your future self — journaling your day, your wins, & your energy — trains your subconscious to notice the patterns, opportunities, & tiny shifts required to achieve on a massive level. What you’re doing is goal visualization, a key aspect of every high performing athlete, artist, entrepreneur, etc. Over time, you start living the future you write.
You may have heard this before, and rolled your eyes: “Why would I lie to myself? I haven’t done these things. I’m not doing them now. So why pretend?”
Well I started scribbling my goals and thoughts each day a while ago, and immediately got tired of writing down things that seemed out of my control. “I want to leave, but can’t find a good new place,” or “I feel stuck.” Observing these thoughts put to paper allowed me to objectively see the story I was telling myself; I realized I was believing every word of it, even if it wasn’t true. And the things I wrote as truths (even though they hadn’t happened yet) inspired me enough to take action and make them happen.
The brain is a beautiful thing — whatever you tell yourself, you’ll feel it. If you think “I have no energy,” then you may well not! The opposite is true — visualize yourself leaping out of bed in the morning, completing a routine before your old self even stirs awake, and you will eventually try it out and realize you can absolutely do it. You’ve got more power than you think; you just need to run the right codes. When you write your future as if it’s already happening, your brain starts hunting for ways to make it real.
This website is part of my cheat code guide. One day, I’ll flip back through these posts and re-learn the lessons I’m learning now (hopefully while laughing on Scrooge McDuck piles of money).
Cheers!
– Ashton