TAKING A MENTAL VACATION
“pretend life is a video game. problems become levels.”
The Lesson
When you watch a movie, you know it's fiction AND you cry with the characters. Two contradictory truths held simultaneously. Use this brain quirk for a mental vacation: imagine you're a player in a video game and everything around you is part of that fiction. You know you're not really in a game, but holding that frame changes how you process problems. Running in a field for no reason is miserable; running in a field to score a goal is fun. Same physical activity, gamified. Turn life challenges into game levels. It's not real, but neither is the stress. This filter helps.
Real-World Example
A founder facing a hard conversation with a cofounder. Normal frame: stressful confrontation. Game frame: 'This is the level where I unlock the difficult conversation skill. What's the optimal strategy?' Same situation, but the gamification creates emotional distance and clearer thinking. You can always switch back to 'real' mode, but the mental vacation helps.
Watch Scott explain this lesson
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