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 dog-eared paperbacks, corners bent and warped from use. I read them often enough to sear each tip and trick onto my brain, giving me the ability to unlock secret levels, gain extra lives, and 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 insights granted by my books, recognizing patterns from repeated practice.
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.
For three or four minutes each day, just write about the best version of your life, as your future self. Treat it like recording an experience 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 full workout sets 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: the physical act of writing as your future self — journaling your day, your wins, and your thoughts — trains your subconscious to notice the patterns, opportunities, & tiny shifts required to achieve at a massive level. What you’re doing is goal visualization, a key aspect of every high performing athlete, artist, entrepreneur, et cetera. Over time, you start living the future you write.
Writing inspires you in surprising ways.
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 down my goals each day a while ago, and the things I wrote as truths inspired me to take action to make them happen. This site is one small example of realizing these goals. I didn’t have a site, I kept writing about having one; it had to happen.
Something funny also happened — I started adding current reflections underneath these daily goals and immediately got tired of repeating 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 can’t do this, I don’t have control over my life.” A negative soundtrack, bouncing around my head subconsciously. I was believing every word of it, even if it wasn’t true.
Stories are powerful. Feed yourself great ones.
The brain is a beautiful thing — whatever you tell yourself, you’ll feel it. If you think “I have no energy, no time…” 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