My Thoughts Are In Another Castle?

Isn't Kirby cute when he's sleeping? Kirby has been in lots of games and has accomplished lots of things. He does this with little to say (nothing actually) and from time to time will even help out a enemy for the sake of peace. Kirby is one tough cookie.

As tough as Kirby is for a cute pink ball of fluff, everyone has a limit. I fear I may have reached mine or am just drawing blanks. There are multiple things I could be working on and I usually go from one thing to the next if I can't think of anything to do at the time. Some things come naturally, like work. Everyone has to make a living. In doing so though, it seems I lost myself somewhere. Maybe it's this month of work not being as good as the past two have been. Maybe it's trying to accomplish more of what I have not and not quite getting there. If you asked me what's going on, I really couldn't tell you. I can't even tell myself. I had several ideas for articles on the Video Gaming Hard Corps site but couldn't find where I posted these ideas. They are on my wall somewhere. Usually I'm in the zone and remember these things. Maybe I did remember them all and didn't realize it.

This post won't make much sense much like my current thoughts. I feel "disconnected" from the world somehow. A strange feeling considering I'm a part of two active communities online via Facebook that I love dearly. I still exist and will make my presence known when necessary. One has to live after all. Is it living though if you're not all there? While I'm going through the motions, my mind is like Kirby here. Seems to be exhausted to an extent and I'm really not sure why. Someone needs to come by with Kirby's "Mic" ability or "Crash" and wake me up. I only want "Sleep" to kick in when I actually want it and that doesn't even happen lots of nights when I first hit the sack.

There's rarely a time where I don't have lots going on inside this head of mine, but none of it lately has been for new content of any sort. Usually this lasts only a day and I figured I'd get home and come up with something today. Well, I did. It's this. Something where I can still talk about gaming to an extent, even if not quite the way I planned to. What can I say? Kirby needs sleep. Always adjusting to any given situation, forcing Kirby awake with "Mic" or "Crash" probably won't even work. What's going on under that sleeping cap? Even he doesn't quite know.

All is well, but for now, it's as if I'm like Kirby; in Dream Land.

Cheating At Life?

It's not cheating! It's in the game! The game of life that is. I feel like I have a unfair advantage lately in many things I do now because of the latest job I have in sales. In doing this job, I have had to become more familiar with people in general and basically having to an extent judge the customer and do what I think is best to hopefully get the sale. Some people need an extra push to make a decision. Some people will flat out lie to you about not having money. The idea is to be good at seeking these things out and capitalizing on them.

I was recently in a situation, IRL, where I was browsing around for something. I won't say what, but when you go shopping in lots of places, you find someone willing to help you. Depending on where you go, it's not just about that help, but they want to try and make a sale. One thing you do to make this process go smooth, or at least you hope it goes smooth, is to assume the sale. You will be doing this. You need that. Being on the opposite side was interesting. I never realized how much this has been done to me in the past truly until now. So much that I in fact turned to the salesperson and said "You know it's funny, because I know EXACTLY what you are doing right now." Now the person had two options at that point. Deny it and move on with what they are doing and try to sell me still, or be perfectly honest with me. They chose the latter. Good choice if they wanted any chance of me buying. I didn't buy in this situation but the experience made for a little short story I wanted to share.

Doing sales make it super easy to tell when someone I interact with is being honest or simply being fake. It's never been more obvious. Maybe I should have taken this job sooner? You can't plan everything in life but you can sure as hell get as much of a advantage as possible. I feel my latest work adventures benefit me in and outside of work. Especially on the outside. My confidence is at a all time high, which is saying something, because I'm one of those people that will never let my ego get the best of me. So much, to where at times, I don't give myself enough credit. I started my job talking to almost no one on my team, to talking with anyone I want to. One thing that is easy to do in sales is make excuses. There are people who will admit to their faults and some who will dance around the idea that whatever happens cannot possibly be their fault. You can get bad calls, but eventually, it is you. They aren't ALL bad.

Something I've already been good at in life (for the most part) as far as being able to read people, so to say, has just become something I'm even better at now. It helps for interactions with friends or family and online interactions as well. Maybe I'm just crazy and I'm willing to accept that, but I think I'm onto something with all this and it really makes things that have been stressful in the past just so much easier now. Achievement unlocked.

Winning = > 1:40

He's...gonna knock me out...again...

I've had a personal struggle for quite some time. It's always been there and hinted in a good portion of posts I make on here. There are many things I do where I feel like I get so far just to get knocked out. To help explain both the title of this post and my feelings towards many things I do, I shall reference 'Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!!'.

When you get in the ring with "Iron Mike", if he lands a hit on you, you're done. Get knocked down three times and it's "Game Over". That's it. The first minute and forty seconds (as far as the game is concerned anyway) is this and nothing but this. Mike will keep going at you, and with different timing each punch to throw you off. It may seem like the timing stays the same but once you get used to it, you dodge to early and end up down on the ground. Your odds are very slim for this first bit of the fight. Afterwards, it is difficult still, but the odds are much better for you.

Better luck next time...

Many things don't get past the 1:40 mark for me. Some of which I am ashamed of. At twenty-six years of age, I should have more accomplished than I do. I feel more accomplished than ever since last November, but it's not enough. I'm a thrill seeker. Onto the next best thing. The next six months have a rough, yet solid plan to truly take the next step. It's time to stop downing myself and getting knocked down by Mike.

Things will be hard but much more possible once past that time. You never know what happens until you try, right? Well, in the case of 'Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!' I've beaten him a whopping one time in my entire life. Doing is at all is a accomplishment, but it's only been done once. Unless you get in the ring, you have no chance at all. At this point in time, I'm pushing things past the 1:40 mark and trying to give myself reasons to stay in the ring and tell myself "everything is gonna be okay". Funny how I would be the one saying this at times to others, usually the people closer to me. Maybe I should take my own advice...

I've been held back and it's for all the wrong reasons. I test myself in games, why not in life too? I've been trying it at my latest job to much success. I've gotten on the road recently and NOT killed anyone. I have people walking up to me at work that I don't even know asking me for advice. My favorite band legitimately knows who I am to the point where I have two of the members on my professional network. So perhaps I do know how to start things. Starting something is the hardest part. Getting past that 1:40 mark. The problem is afterward. Keeping the drive to stay in the ring. Some make up for this with somebody or something. Or both. There was a time where I relied on both or one to keep things going. That in itself is a problem. You've gotta do things for you. Because you want to.

Going back to the game, I WANT to beat Tyson again. I go back and try like thirty times and then shut the game off defeated. There's always a obstacle somewhere. Something that stops you from being the very best, like no one ever was. I'm confident now more than ever, but I have this problem when it comes to going full circle on something (closing a sale, for example) or pulling the trigger on something that needs to be done. I can lead but when put on the spot, I freeze up and forget everything.

I can do this...right?

There's an extra push I need to acquire. The same extra push that makes me go for Legendary difficulty in Halo games the very first time playing them. The same push that made me beat Duck Tales: Remastered on Expert on my first try. The same push that landed me first and second place on the sales team I am on over the course of the last two months. I need to apply this to everything and then perhaps the missing pieces will come together. Part of it too is having so many things I want to accomplish at one time. It's possible, sure. Focus on one thing at a time though in a timely matter is the best way. There has to be a reason though. A focus that you make for yourself. Kind of like Final Fantasy XIII, where every character has a "focus". Hopefully though, your focus is less linear, and more exciting than the game I'm referencing.

You Only Live Once. Better make it count. Forget the what ifs and just do it. Tyson knocks you down? Get up. You have two more shots. In life you only get one. The pressure is on but you can't screw up due to only having one life. One thing you never get back is time. You can go buy a Delorian with your hard earned money, but you'll never be able to generate the 1.21 gigawatts to make it happen. No multiple lighthouses. So many thoughts, so little time. Sorting it all out is the hard part. It's the organization of it all. Putting it all together. This post will be made and a part of me will die soon after. The part that still tells myself no.

No does not compute. Success shall continue. Six months. Then and only then will I truly level up. Again.

The Eject Button

As a person who is always thinking about the next best thing, I find it hard to be satisfied in many different situations. Any victory achieved is short lived and I'm onto the next goal or accomplishment. It's hard for me to focus on anything for an extended period of time. As if I look for openings to quit whatever it is I want a release from.

When I dedicate myself to something, you know I take whatever it is, whether it is a game, friend, job, or anything else seriously. It's rare. I always seek a new adventure or thrill. Being dedicated to something is nice, but it becomes routine. If you are passionate about it, the routine part doesn't matter so much. Make sense so far? I hope so...

Being dedicated makes it easy for me to basically want to eject myself from whatever situation it is. It got dull, not worth my time, you name it. Dedication only gets you so far because eventually reality kicks in and you wonder, do I really want to keep doing this? This happened to me with Gears of War 3. As more and more time passed, I cared less for the game. To top it off, the experience I had with friends was never as good as 2; even though it was a inferior game. I slowly found myself fading away from Gears. Judgment came around and I barely know anything about it.

When you are passionate, even if reality kicks in, the reality is that you love what you do. Who cares if it's the same routine? Loving what you do makes you forget these things. So why not love everything? That would be pretty much impossible and way too big of a commitment for anyone. Showing that much care for so many things. It's why people need to find a niche did themselves and stick with it.

One person cannot do it all. You would like to think you can but it simply doesn't work that way. I can play all the single player games I want. Eventually, the urge to play with others will kick in again. Not that you ever have to play games with others if you don't want to, but there are some that perhaps will be easier with others. Why put that extra pressure on yourself?

I've been known to start games and not finish them. Donkey Kong Country Returns, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (yes, I haven't played this game, sue me), Pokemon Black 2, and likely other games I am forgetting about. Not because I don't want to but other interests kick in and then I just never go back. I think about it but in the end, never follow through. Every now and then, after huge break, I will go back and finish a game that fits in this category. Either that or I go back, realize I remember nothing about the story, and then quit at that point.

Is this even still making sense? Maybe not. Sounds like I'll be doing on this post what I find myself doing in general if something doesn't peak my interest anymore. Hitting the eject button.

Flying Solo

Today's topic will be about going at it alone. Not because you necessarily want to but because it's best. This is a continuation of sorts to an article that can be found on the Video Gaming Hard Corps website called "Player Two Is Not a Necessity".

I won't sit here and say I didn't get much as kid. I'd even go as far as to say I got more than most. Even with that being said, I can honestly say I worked for a good portion of the things I have in my room. There were several points in my lifetime where I felt like I couldn't necessarily turn to my parents for help. They were there where they can be, sure. No one is perfect though. There was a time where I almost didn't finish high school and really, I had no one but myself to blame. I made some dumb decisions and needed to fix them knowing that options to get various tutors was not an option. An exception was made for math because there was NO WAY I was gonna get through that class otherwise. For everything else, I stepped my game up. This is just one example of many different life situations.

The same applies to gaming. You can get help in lots of different things via co-op modes in games, but it takes away from that thrill of learning and adapting on your own. Plus, if your friends are nowhere to be found, you really have no choice. Take it from me, never get a game to either humor someone, or base it off a single person. You will regret it. When you suddenly find yourself not playing the game how you want it, you'll wonder why you decided to tie yourself down. Ideally, you seek a sense of fairness and try to be at the same level (character wise) or in the same place in the game (progress wise). Nice in theory but doesn't always work out well. When you throw life into the mix, this is even harder to arrange. I recall a more recent arrangement that simply never happened due to lack of time. It was all on me but it stopped me from playing the game. This was for Gears of War: Judgment. I still have barely touched it. Good thing I rented it...

Flying solo is where you truly test yourself as a person and learn the most in general. Sometimes you just have to face the storm on your own. This funny thing always happens where something bad will happen and something good will follow not long after. My latest job in sales is very much like that, although sometimes you will be waiting a long time. When you get that big deal though, it feels good. Damn good. Watching the numbers rise as you write more and more deals. It's like seeing your achievement number go up. I can actually blame my latest job for making me want to try and accomplish more in almost every aspect of life. While I've been dead set to improve things for myself over time, the job has kinda set a new standard for me. A standard in which I shouldn't settle for less than what I deserve, and on top of that, I should try and excel at things I enjoy. Considering how much I enjoy gaming, I end up playing games on the hardest difficulty. Because, why not?

In a game, it's viewed as being a masochist, especially depending on the game. In life, it's simply having the will to challenge yourself. As much fun as it is to be social and enjoy life experiences or games with others, sometimes it just doesn't work out, or they get in the way. It's hard to find an Ellie or Elizabeth nowadays. Someone who can actually be worth having around and will support you. Should one be opposed to a player two? No, definitely not. Just give me an opening and I'll take it. Just know that flying solo is built into my blood. If someone wants to take the journey with me, so be it; but they better live up to the challenge. Just remember as stated in my article that started this, player two is not a necessity. How are you gonna act as a team if you don't even know your own potential? There are things you just have to do alone. Or you could cheat. There is always the cowards route. You can't cheat life though, so IRL you actually have to think things over. It's said thinking though that makes a difference in what you do or don't do throughout the time you are granted here on this earth.