Stop Being an NPC
If life is a video game, there are two kinds of people: real players and NPCs.
This categorization is blunt, harsh, and for me, a little scary.
In the past, being an NPC wasn't terible.
And by NPC, I mean a Non Player Character.
These are the characters one would see to make a game more realistic, pre-programmed to provide extras in a movie, perhaps give a hint or two in the game, but not that important.
The primary analogy between NPCs and its application in the real world is agency.
There is no one playing the NPC; the computer has endowed it with just a set of rules and it goes about, typically oblivious to the overall mission and game play.
Interestingly, AI is beinga pplied to make these NPCs more interactive in the game, more real with richer dialogue and some decision-making; but these are all inteh end just window dressing to the real story line of the player.
The hard part is that most of life for most people, including myself, is that of an NPC.
We think we have agency and decision-making; but largely we are playing by a constrained set of fules.
This does not mean that just because someone works for a company that one is an NPC, by the way. While the dream is often sold that escaping W2 status is the only way to play by your own rules, it's not always true.
The converse is also the case: just because you have your own businesss or are a freelancer doesn't mean you have escaped eing an NPC.
The rule that govern the real world exist; and very few people are above those rules.
But in a game, the re are rules as well; and the most advanced player knows those rules that are programmed.
What then is the difference in real life between being an NPC and a player?
Yes, we have to follow the had rules, like the rule of law; but many of the decisions and actions we take are social conventions, social programming we learn from others.
The biggest one is copyin gother behavior Peter Thiel addressed this by bringing to light the role of mimesis.
Full agency then comes down to playing by a set of rules in a game that one chooses to play.
This does't always mean getting the job or title you want; or the level of business uwccess.
While this can be the goal it's also a huge burden to bear; very few people are able to truly bend the laws of financial physicals to achieve something breakthrough.
While people want to hold of Elon Musk as the ultimately eample of someone who has broken NPC alnd, it's truly an unbearable weight if that's the bar.
Now, we don't get there by copying his behavior or building our version of the electric car.
In fact, all those who break out of NPC, especially these successful technology titans, do share something in common: they thought differently.
Everyone who does something different leans into some unique perspective, mission, combination of skills to do something. They don't focus on the prize.
The person who focuses only on the prize without grounded in something else becomes a sociopath with no mbearing.
It leads to a narcisstiic society -- and narcissits actually are NPCs; they are playing by the rules and social conventions of everybody else. But they are willing to break social ethical and empathic conventions to get there.
Just because someone is willing to gas light or is unwilling to take accountability doesn't make that person a Player; by definition, it means they are an NPC because they are reacting to a failure to remain in good graces of other people. They care too much about what other people do, greatness is their pursuit of adoration and praise.
Breaking NPC, then, means coming up with something very distinct; it is unplugging from the opinions and standards of the rest of the world and carving your own path.
This is difficult.
It means really thinking for yourself.
The first is to get really honest with what your goals in life are.
Not what will make your friends and co workers jealous.
No what your parents brought you up to be.
What reall truly matters. the death bed kind of questions.
If it truly is making $10k a day via Twitter, and that's your ja then do it. It will be hard, but as long as its honest.
If it is in fact clibing the corproate ladder at a FAANG, it reaches what is really important.
IT's got to jive and this is so hard.
Many people would prefer a simpler life annd a less stressfl life, but it is, in fact, hard to make ends meet.
Well, thi sis how to break out of NPC.
Can you adjust your lifestyle to be downscaled and be creative enough to enjoy it?
Can you look deep at the market or people you are serving and find a business that it, in fat, one that can sustain a lifestyle you genuinely care about and need, not to show off, but because it's what you envision?
This is hard.
Mimesis drives you and me to want what other people want; and as a result, to do what they do.
But your life is like an investment strategy. If you do what everbody else does, you will get the same results.
What really matters.
I'll give an example.
When there is a huge sale for something in your town, if you go to the area, you'll likely see large, long lines.
Break down what this means when people do this.
It may be a trivial example, but it is an analogy for how many people live their lives. Its a microcosm of decision making.
It's ultimately an expression of their operating system.
Their values.
What are your values?
I'e done this exaercise for years, and each time I found it hard.
But that tells me that it is important.
The values are important because they need to be the set of rules that you evaluate your own life by.
For example, I acdtually started a blog on this similar content maybe 145 years ago, but I stopped.
I felt the topic was important, but I didn't connect to it as something important enough regardless of the toucome. Because I was looing for something to get onto the blogging course making fast lane.
I looked at the outcome, not the process.
The NPC has to be able to balance both.
ne is to be thinking always about how to eventually make this grow be profitable.
But the otucome independence means waking up, doing the work, regardless. Being at 0.
I reached a point where I'm writing this Substack and assuming I will get 0 readers, 0 subscribers, forever.
Does tha tmean I won't try to get viewers? That I won't try to improve the quality of the writing and think of creative ways to get distribution?
No, I'm still going to focus on those things.
But it's because the mission is important to me.
Will it mean that I'll take jobs, eprhaps settle for jobs that don't demand 80 hours and have alot of Gamem of Thrones dynamics to surivve?
It may mean finding ways to make writing this in service to that necessity.
It may mean sacrificing some things to get the extra rep in the morning or sacrificing weekends.
It probably means still showing up at whatever existing job or business and still doing ones best within the constraint of ones values, however.
For example, if the value or person one needs to be to fulfill this mission or goal is to deliver excellent work, or focus on priorities, then not doing it at work will limit your muscles in those regions.
It's actdually about strengthening your muscles to play the real game.
Breaking out of NPC jail means building the right mental and character muscles.
NPC Jail is a jail. It's not going to be easy.
The third is finding energy to break out of jail.
This isn't something that is just done overnight with the snap of one's fingers for most people.
It will mean getting down to the base layer of who are you, what's important to you, and what are you good at to play th egame.
See, part of being an NPC is taht you're not really playing with a real life.
Getting into the ring as a player is brutal.
How are you going to win?
How are you going to Level Up?
Well, its two things: its having the right ix of skills; and having enough energy or life points to break through to the next level.
What are those skills?
And what gives you energy?
Understanding what gies you energy goes back to this mix of your mission, your values, and your personality and gifts.
When things feel natural, when they come comparatively easy, you are more likely to repeat the reps. This gives you energy and momentum.
Doing the thing you don't really like doing, or don't see that you have some innate advantage, makes the game harer.
But the way to that innate advantages I believe comes from the energy and desire to put in those reps. Put in the Right Reps