013 | Life is a game! Play it.
My friend's Bluetooth toothbrush and Duolingo streak inspire me.
In my last newsletter, I wrote about how being around the right people helps your discipline. It got me thinking of everything I love about my friends and the qualities I want to emulate and learn from them. Out of the very long list, I love Annalise’s ability to play the fucking game.
Whatever the game is, Annalise is playing it.
(But not any bad ones, because the only thing she hates more than NOT playing the game is something that wastes her time, and bad games such a time suck.)
I live life like a duck. I look put together on top, floating by, but underneath the water, I am paddling my little legs like they are motorized and often blow by the parts of life that are supposed to be fun because I am trying to go so fast while being so put together, I forget what I am doing entirely. This is not only a mindfulness coach’s worst nightmare, but a very game-less way to live life.
Some examples of games Annalise plays:
Duolingo: At one point, her streak was so long that she played through her father passing, the pandemic, her mother moving out of their childhood home, a life-changing breakup, and a move to another state. Unlike those of us who buy the premium version and forget about it (me), she did Duolingo every. single. day. On the worst days of her life, Annalise does her language learning games on that damn Duolingo app and on the best days of mine, I forget my phone has any purpose other than playing TikToks of cat adoption videos, which I send to Annalise.
Toothbrush: This isn’t the most important one, but it is the most insane. Her toothbrush has an app where she literally tracks herself brushing her teeth. This is how I know, no matter the state she is getting home in, her teeth are getting brushed and tracked. I brush my teeth, but I have no idea if I am doing a good job or not. I don’t have an app to tell me. Annalise is definitely doing it better than all of us and her smile is proof.
Fitness: Today, I was texting her about my awful experience at Barry’s (my watch didn’t sync, started on the floor, lower body focus, you know the drill) when she informed me she is leaning into their Pride Month challenge and doing a bunch of classes this month. Typical Annalise! If you know anything about Barry’s challenges, you would know they are basically just throwing peanuts at you, but it’s a game. This isn’t the first fitness challenge she has done, and not even at her first workout studio. She did Orangetheory so much in college, they gave her a job there. She woke up at the crack of dawn (something like 4:30 or 5 or something) and went to Orangetheory. I got home from the bar at 3am, so we were just missing each other.
She isn’t playing masochistic games exclusively. She also plays ones that others would deem fun, like going out every night on the weekend, jamming her days full of brunch, dinner, and rooftop house music sets, and capping it all off with a week in Ibiza. She basically has a fun-streak going. Annalise even threw her boyfriend a game-themed birthday party at a place that lets you do lawn games year-round indoors with a conveniently located bar inside.
If life was a game, she’d be winning it. She has a great time, and any chance she gets to make whatever task in front of her more interesting, she does it. How great is that?
During the summer of 2019, I admitted to someone at the company I was interning at that I downright hated it there. I have no idea why I did that, but they asked so I thought I’d be honest. They let me know that I would be free in a few weeks to venture to other opportunities, and if I’m in another situation that sucks and I hate it, to make it a game. If I was stapling paper all day, how many staples could I get through? Start timing yourself when you do daily reporting to see how fast you can get it done.
Somewhere along the way, I totally forgot that advice, but Annalise’s insane Duolingo habits, Bluetooth toothbrush, and go-big-or-go-home lifestyle reminded me.
I’m not saying that you should be doing your Duolingo streak while your partner is breaking up with you, I am not saying all of your appliances need to be tracking you, and I am not saying you have to do workout challenges. I’m not saying a lot of things.
But if you are faced with the opportunity to treat something like a game, play it.
Take yourself seriously, but not too seriously. Have fun in the mundane tasks. Stop being a duck and start being a human with a life. It’s much more entertaining that way.
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