Nothing beats embarking on new adventures with newfound friends and battling gym leaders, supervillains, and evil-doers along the way.
Pokémon is one of those classics that bring back fond memories for many 90’s kids (myself included) for its catchy soundtrack, action-packed storyline, and seamless gameplay.
The premise of the game is to catch every known Pokémon in the Pokéverse (gotta catch ‘em all) and to become the best Pokémon trainer.
There is so much to do and so little time to do it. You could choose to navigate the safari in search of rare Pokémon; surf the unknown seas to find lost treasures; pay a visit to the always beautiful nurse Joy; or build a secret underground base to stash valuables away from the pesky eyes of thieves.
However, nothing is comparable to the elation that bursts from every cell of my being when a Pokémon reaches a new level – or better yet when it evolves – because it is a stark reminder that our capacity to succeed depends on our willingness to work hard.
What I found most intriguing was the visual display of each Pokémon’s progress because each level is quantified by “EXP” or experience points.
These points are obtained after each battle and vary by the strength and difficulty of each opponent. Defeating weak Pokémon, such as a level 1 Caterpie, will yield a few points while a level 50 will award a few hundred thus there is a strong incentive to defeat more powerful and difficult enemies.
Of course, in order to fight stronger opponents, players must become stronger themselves and this cyclical feedback offers every Pokémon the opportunity to achieve the coveted level 100 so with time that same Caterpie can cocoon into a Metapod and emerge as a beautiful Butterfree.
But what practical application does Pokémon have to the real-world? Many, well for me at least. This might sound silly but if you think about it, Pokémon and real-life share many similarities and abide by the same rules:
We all enter the world with little to no skills, as “level 1” if you will, and yeah it sucks but the only way we can overcome our current limitations is to learn new skills and build new knowledge.
When we complete a task or master a skill, we earn “experience points” and grow as an individual. The amount of “experience” we gain will depend on its difficulty so it is in our benefit to strive for opportunities that challenge us. Regardless of the outcome, we will either learn something new or reinforce what we already know (remember: you lose what you don’t use).
Eventually, with time and practice, we will achieve the next “level” and possibly reach a new milestone in our “evolution.”
This mindset was one of the reasons why I read profusely and intensely as a kid because I felt I was getting smarter with each book I read. As words flooded my mind and pulsated through every vein, my vocabulary grew, and my ability to think analytically and write well improved; I felt as if I was truly “leveling up.”
So what does this mean for you? How can you improve your personal and professional life? What can you do now to increase your chances of getting into your dream schools?
- Find time for self-improvement because there is always room for growth. Since 2013, I have set aside a few hours every day to read a new book, work on a research project, or learn a new skill (currently learning to code using R) – and you should too! I recommend starting with 30 minutes each day to dip your toes in the water and then go from there.
- Keep learning because success is the journey, not the destination. This means enrolling in that Intro to Python / C++ course you always wanted to try or joining that debate club you were always interested in but didn’t due to personal fears and reservations. Once you master a skill, push yourself to learn a more advanced one, and continue after that.
- Challenge yourself regularly because unless you can confidently leave your comfort zone you won’t be able to successfully achieve your goals. It is important that challenges are reasonably difficult so you don’t want anything too hard or too easy. Just as when athletes lift weights to gain muscle, too little resistance won’t result in muscle growth and too much resistance may cause an injury.
- Welcome failure as part of the learning process so pick yourself up, readjust your approach, and try again. In life you only have two choices: (1) raise the white flag and give up or (2) pick yourself up and keep trying (remember: you miss every shot you don’t take and it’s not over unless you quit).
- Consistency is key so commit to smaller but more manageable tasks you can realistically complete on a regular basis (remember: slow and steady wins the race). Studying is a great example since it is more efficient to chunk sessions over many weeks before an exam rather than doing so over one sitting the night before (remember: don’t put all of your eggs in one basket).
- Believe in yourself because we all have the potential to accomplish anything we set our minds to. We often underestimate our own capacity to achieve great things and are often our own biggest critic so never stop believing in yourself.
Above all else, if there is one thing you should take away from this article is to always shoot for the moon because even if you miss you’ll still be among the stars. As long as you continue to self-improve – even if things don’t go exactly as planned – goods things will always fall in place. And remember setbacks are temporary so don’t give up.
This strategy has not only helped me in my college journey (I was admitted to every school I applied to) but it has also improved my personal and professional life. I have grown so much as an individual and I am confident you will too. I hope you found this article useful and I’ll see you at the next one.
