That Awesome Feeling After Finishing Something

Work, play, getting homeworks done, fully cleaning the house - we humans go through so many stuff in this complicated existence, you would think animals are wiser for keeping things simple and keeping things on the matter of surviving and procreating. It is, I guess, human nature that despite so many things we have to do, we'd still bother to keep our minds preoccupied with worries. And it is not seldom that when we're about to get started on something, we would always feel apprehensive and anxious. What if something goes wrong? Will I be able to finish it? Should I do it this way? Or how about that way? What if I don't accomplish my task? What are the consequences of doing or not doing it? So many questions - and more often than not, they lead to procrastination and unfinished businesses.

So lately, I've picked up on an old RTS game I used to play. In layman's terms, RTS is simply a type of gaming wherein you build and finance an army and then use it to defeat your opponent. Pretty simple concept, isn't it? But involves a lot of multitasking and awareness to be able to master it. Are your defenses still intact? Is your offense winning or getting pummeled? Do you still have enough money to train more soldiers? etc. etc. I won't bore the non-gamer with the fine details but to say the least, this type of gaming requires a lot of mental processes. (And being the nerd that I am, the mental exercise helps keep my brain alert and agile).

What then, has this game got to do anything? Seriously, it's just a game!

Of course, it's just a game. And with or without it, life goes on. I've decided to stop playing the game several times in the past, first because other things need more prioritizing, and second, the game's just too hard a nut to crack, it gave me headaches more than enjoyment. So I just said, screw it with this game and moved on.

But it has always been a frustration not to be able to finish it. There was always that nagging thought at the back of my head that if I could've just pushed myself a little further, then perhaps I could've beaten that silly computer and its strategies. How difficult could it be, to be able to beat machine? Did I really let myself quit over this?

So being lucky with not being too preoccupied with many things recently, I've decided to give the silly game another try. And I must say that I'm a bit surprised that things weren't as hard as they used to be. Yes, I was anxious at first, thinking that if I don't get to finish it this time, will I even be able to? Is this game just too hard to beat? But then I decided to just let things be, give it another go, and see what happens. And it really wouldn't hurt to try now, would it? It kinda hurts more to not even try to try.

A week later and I'm about 5/6 of the way into finishing. That's a lot more than what I've accomplished before and I can't help but get my nerd senses tingling at the prospect of being able to finish it at last. I'm trying to keep my fingers crossed, hoping that in a few days, I'll finally be able to nail this bugger down after not being played and finished for years.

So now you might be thinking, how does this experience relate to life? What does the rant of a gaming nerd have to do with anything that's relevant at all?

Simple. There are plenty of things that we are apprehensive to get started on, simply because we're afraid of not being able to finish it. But at the end of any task, whether it be work or play, once one has accomplished it, that awesome feeling one gets at the end of the task - the euphoria - should be motivation enough to get one's gear started. And with this thought in mind, if one is able to beat a simple yet pain-in-the-ass game, there's no reason one couldn't handle the challenges life's gonna throw his way. If one simply looks forward at experiencing the euphoria, the challenges of any task would be trivial.