Superheroes play big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life - Steve Camb

Genre:

Book description: Watching films and reading books, people often envy the characters they observe, who from a gray and sad life discover unimaginable adventures, changing their lives. The first thing you must understand is that these are all fairy tales and happiness will never come to you on its own, this is the first and simple truth. The rest of what you need to know is in this book. All the secrets to finding an ideal life, complete happiness, combining health, a successful career and endless adventures in one life are described here and are just waiting for you to read.

In these times of active fight against piracy, most of the books in our library have only short fragments for review, including the book Superheroes Play Big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life. Thanks to this, you can understand whether you like this book and whether you should purchase it in the future. Thus, you support the work of writer Steve Camb by legally purchasing the book if you liked its summary.

Steve Camb

Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life

Steve Kamb: LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story

Dedication

To my parents, brother and sister who have been my biggest fans since day one. Thank you for advising me to go for it every time some absurd idea came into my head. Mom, I promise that I will continue to tell you about all sorts of crazy things only after I commit them!

To the grandma who bought a computer so she could read my newsletters, thank you for putting up with my foul language, bah! To my other grandparents who, after living long, inspiring lives, passed away while I was away having adventures. I miss you so much!

To all the "Resistance"! Thank you to the Nerd Fitness community—full of seemingly unheroic heroes and oddballs—for putting my words into action and living a life of daily adventure.

To all the madmen, nonconformists, rebels, troublemakers, round pegs in square holes - in short, to everyone who sees the world differently.

Introduction. Everyday world

- Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2 am.

- One more…

I was sitting at the blackjack table in the most famous casino in the world. My heart was beating wildly. I tried my best to remain calm and cool, despite the stress: as much money as I had spent the previous week was at stake. I ordered another cocktail (shaken, not stirred), adjusted my bow tie, and told a “spicy” joke to my new Irish friends sitting next to me. The next few tense minutes showed how the players behave: the dealer leisurely turned over the cards, took another one and... bust! There was applause. I calmly collected my chips, internally dancing a jig and going crazy with joy.

After my new friends and I celebrated the victory, late at night, I returned to the hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. This, by the way, is said literally: the Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel really stands on stilts right above the water. Woke up the next morning, ate breakfast, watched billion-dollar yachts sail into Monaco harbor—and proudly crossed out the important item from my “Epic Brilliance Quest”: “Live one weekend like James Bond.”

The people who saw me that evening in the casino would hardly have believed it if they knew who I really was and how my life had changed over the previous year. Surely it never occurred to anyone that I rented a tuxedo from a tailor in a neighboring town, and the hotel room was paid for with hotel bonuses and did not cost me anything. They were also not destined to learn that, despite this weekend of spending, I am a very thrifty guy and, thanks to luck at the gambling tables, I managed to make good money! Yes, it is difficult to imagine a charming, witty gentleman in a tuxedo, brilliantly playing in the Monte Carlo casino, in a cheap hostel in Nice, where he will return tomorrow to continue the routine life of a shy “nerd”.

Yes, my double life would surprise anyone, especially considering where I started. Like any young person growing up in the 1980s, I spent most of my time reading my favorite books, video games, and movies. And he did this for one, but compelling reason: out of a desire to escape. From another school day devoid of difficulties, interest and development. From boring hours at a boring job, where I languished in a position that did not correspond to the strengths of my personality. In a word, to escape as far as possible from a life that was not even close to the stories of the heroic characters of your favorite games.

Why waste time in a boring world where you had to deal with things that made you despondent, where there was no health, no happiness, no inspiration, no real reason to worry? Why bother with “real life” when you can sit down at a computer or game console and easily realize your fantasies - like an almighty badass who can rule the whole world? In reality, I was a skinny 23-year-old with no money or purpose in life, with developing sociopathy. But in the game world, I was able to defeat that damn dragon! And very soon real life turned into boring, painful episodes - between the bright hours of screen adventures.

Steve Camb

Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life

Steve Kamb: LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story

Dedication

To all the "Resistance"! Thank you to the Nerd Fitness community—full of seemingly unheroic heroes and oddballs—for putting my words into action and living a life of daily adventure.

To all the madmen, nonconformists, rebels, troublemakers, round pegs in square holes - in short, to everyone who sees the world differently.

Introduction. Everyday world

- Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2 am.

- One more…

After all, it’s great to immerse yourself in a book or movie, to dive into the world of a video game where you become the hero. I imagined myself as Indiana Jones, Jason Bourne, Neo from The Matrix, and even Link from the Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda. And there's nothing wrong with that. I still love these games and movies, they are part of my personality. The problem, however, was that they became a common way to escape from real life.

But one day something changed. Instead of immersing myself in games and using them as an escape from reality, I pulled some levers into action and began to do amazing things that I had previously only dared to dream about. Yes, yes, I turned my life into a giant video game - and in reality I realized the fantasies of my adored characters.

By the age of 25, I had never traveled outside of North America. But then he managed to visit more than 20 countries, walked along the Great Wall of China, tracked wild animals in South Africa, explored the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia - and got into his best physical shape. I volunteer whenever I can, play music every day (and even learned to play the violin while writing this book!). And I'm happy!

But this is only a small part of what I managed to do. Early one morning, my friend and I climbed to an observation deck overlooking the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. And this pushed me to implement another grandiose plan: to go on a two-year trip around the world.

I woke up one morning on a bus in New Zealand and heard the driver say something about a “stunt plane.” And less than 24 hours later I was doing rolls and spins in a stunt airplane (with the help of a co-pilot), fulfilling my childhood fantasy of “maintaining foreign connections” - just like Maverick in the movie “Top Gun.”

A few days after flying on one airplane, I parachuted from another. What happened two more days later? I jumped from the Kawaru Bridge - the birthplace of bungee jumping - and plunged waist-deep into an icy river before lifting out of the water like a rocket into outer space.

And in the evening I went scuba diving and swam with sharks at the Great Barrier Reef. We sat in the boat, preparing to dive: a slanting downpour was lashing, killer music was blasting from the speakers, and sharks were circling below us. It felt like I was living through a scene from a Tom Clancy novel. Having completed this adventure, I spent the next day exploring the vibrant, colorful coral reef, which was home to a large pink anemone and wonderful little clownfish swimming around. Yes, that's right: I found Nemo. Mission complete!

I am telling you all this not as a person who was destined to live a life full of adventures; I am by no means going to brag about how wonderfully my destiny has changed. Vice versa! I speak from the perspective of a risk-averse, moody, picky eater introvert who was more comfortable at home in front of a computer than in public—and eventually became an intrepid world traveler. How did I do this? I changed the source code and rewrote programs created for me by others, and at the same time by myself in moments of despair. I took it step by step to move away from the life that was before - and get closer to the one I secretly dreamed of. Essentially, I redesigned life around my own Epic Quest of Splendor. I excluded everything unimportant and unnecessary - in order to be fully embodied in the game that I had imagined for myself. At the same time, I led the ordinary life of a writer, a “nerd” and a gamer.

Steve Kamb: LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story

Dedication

To all the "Resistance"! Thank you to the Nerd Fitness community—full of seemingly unheroic heroes and oddballs—for putting my words into action and living a life of daily adventure.

To all the madmen, nonconformists, rebels, troublemakers, round pegs in square holes - in short, to everyone who sees the world differently.

Introduction. Everyday world

- Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2 am.

- One more…

And you know what's the coolest thing? I can teach this to anyone!

Actually I already taught thousands of people: the very minute we talk, they embark on adventures. We Rebels call ourselves "The Resistance" - inspired by the Rebel Alliance from Star Wars folklore. And I want you to join us. Consider this book a strategic guide for your game of life—and a primer for membership in the Resistance. Not only will I draw you a diagram that you can follow to start living like the characters in your favorite video games, books and movies. I will share with you dozens of stories from members of our motley community of rebels - seemingly unheroic heroes, "weaklings" and sudden adventurers. I will tell you:

How a seventh grade teacher visited five continents in 4 years without borrowing a single dollar.

How a single father took his love of anime and gamified martial arts to connect with his son and train with him.

How one Rebel living below the poverty line put his life back together with the goal of taking part in an adventure race on the other side of the country.

How a 55-year-old divorced retired firefighter took control of her life and created a smartphone app company.

How a Filipina college student used a secret powerup to land a better job on campus, overcome her fear of public speaking, and join an amateur dance group.

As a clinical hematology specialist, he rebuilt his life through nature research, volunteer work at a suicide prevention hotline, and even landed a major role in a musical.

However, if you're reading this list and wondering how the hell you can make such dramatic changes in your life, you're not alone. We've all been through this. We got caught up in a routine instead of enjoying every moment. We counted the days until the weekend, barely made it to next year - and waited for some mythical day when “everything will settle down” and we will finally start living the way we want. Mindlessly drifting through our own lives, we are simply looking for ways to escape from reality - unsatisfactory and difficult.

We are the equivalent of Bilbo Baggins, the hero of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, living a quiet existence in his hobbit hole, avoiding anything that might be dangerous or adventurous. We know that we are mired in everyday life, we dream of something more, but we just can’t determine what it is. Year after year goes by, nothing changes - and one day we look back and ask ourselves: “What the hell is wrong with me?!” If everything that has been said resonates in your soul and it seems that life is passing you by, then this book is for you.

Don't worry, I'll show you how to live a life you can be proud of, and have adventures that will inspire your friends. I will teach you to do what you once dreamed of. Whether it's about traveling, choosing a new instrument, starting a website, or learning how to dance, Resistance will welcome you.

Now, when you join the Resistance, know that there is a list of rules that we have decided to adhere to. Our first rule: we don't care where you come from, all that matters is where you're going. Whether you're an 18-year-old high school senior trying to figure out what the fuck to do with your life, or a 55-year-old divorcee yearning for some excitement, I'll be happy to help you.

The second rule: if you join the “Resistance,” you join for life. We have a lot of work to do, but I promise it will be a lot of fun. The only thing I ask of you is to trust me, and when I ask you to take a leap of faith, do it. Our focus will be on continuous improvement, finding a way to become a little better, a little closer to the goal. And this path begins here and now. As Morpheus says to Neo in The Matrix:

- This is your last chance. Then there will be no return. You take the blue pill, the story ends, and you wake up in your bed and continue to believe what you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Well, shall we take the red pill?

Part I: The Call of Adventure

Chapter 1. Leaving the Shire

Once upon a time there lived a hobbit in a hole underground. Not in some disgusting dirty damp hole, where worm tails stick out on all sides and there is a disgusting smell of mold, but also not in a dry, sandy, bare hole, where there is nothing to sit on and nothing to eat. No, the hole was a hobbit’s, which means it was well-maintained.

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

If you're wondering how I went from being a timid nerd to an intrepid adventurer like Indiana Jones, listen up. It all started in 2007 with a panic attack.

He hit me on the plane on my way home to San Diego. But not because I was afraid to fly. The problem was that I dreamed of traveling to distant lands, doing amazing things and living a rich life full of adventures - but the reality was very different from the dreams. Having spent a boring day at a boring job, in the evening I hurried to the computer screen, killing hour after hour in video games - to escape from an existence that was boring and aimless. I ate the same food, did the same monotonous things - and put off adventures and self-development for better times, when my life would become “less busy.” It felt like I was having a “midlife crisis” at 23 years old. As Ben Franklin said, “Some die at 25 and are not buried until they are 75.” It seemed like he was talking about me.

I wanted more from life, but had no idea how to achieve it. I kept escaping into video games, books, and movies to “reincarnate” myself into characters whose lives seemed more exciting than my own. Every evening I disconnected from reality in front of the monitor, and on weekends I got drunk - just to forget the previous week. I dreaded Sunday evenings because I knew that the next morning I would have to return to a reality I despised. I thought back to my youth and tried to understand where and what went wrong.

After all, I had a completely normal childhood (if you can call childhood in a town called Sandwich “normal”). I’ll answer your first two questions right away: yes, our police cars had the words “Sandwich Police” on them; and no, our school mascot was not a sandwich. As a child, I had an overactive imagination, and I divided my free time equally between games like The Legend of Zelda and adventures in our garden, where I played Link, the tunic-clad hero of the game. It honestly seemed to me that I was growing up at the same time as Link - and turning into a superhero.

And then there were my four years at Sandwich High School. By the second year I was 155 cm tall, had braces for the third year in a row and somehow managed to get acne - a faithful companion of puberty, but without the rapid growth that accompanies it. Finally, my father’s genes turned on, and I grew to 181 cm. The braces were removed, the skin cleared up. I even tried my luck on the school basketball team, since my brother was the captain - and he was proud of his efforts. However, all the efforts in this area could not hide the fact that I was not a very good player, and I was kicked out of the team. Thus, the only sports I played in high school were those typically recommended for geriatric patients: golf and tennis. Then I managed to fall in love and spent all my free time indulging in my hopeless addiction. What was her name?

"Everquest".

For the uninitiated, EverQuest is an extremely popular World of Warcraft-type massively multiplayer online role-playing game; a world of wizards, warriors and dragons was created there. I didn't have a driver's license or a girlfriend, so weekends and summer nights were devoted to other explorations: I explored the game world of Norrath as the character Morphos Novastorm, a polymath wizard. There was no longer any need to use imagination to fill in the gaps, because Norrath had it all: tall mountains, deep dark seas full of secrets, uninhabited islands, haunted houses, caves, castles and everything else.

What started out as a way to let off steam after school or a boring job quickly turned into an addiction. I clearly remember a couple of nights after marathon gaming sessions, when I was trying to quietly sneak into bed so as not to wake my parents, and ran into my dad in the hallway, who was already getting up for work. Sorry, dad! There were many days in the summer when I stayed up all night, trying to complete some particularly difficult quest - and suddenly realized that it was time to go work off my 12-hour summer shift, filling supermarket shelves with Coca-Cola. The job paid great, but boy, was I miserable!

Although I devoted a significant part of my time to the game after school and on weekends, I also took care not to neglect my studies. Having an older brother who graduated second in his class set the stage for me to push myself hard—but unnecessarily—to follow in his footsteps. I joined every student club, got the best grades I could, and also managed to graduate second in my small class. I ultimately decided to attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. I didn't know much about this school other than the fact that it had an excellent reputation and the climate in Tennessee was better than the northeast. So when the university offered a decent academic scholarship, I decided to visit its campus - and fell in love with it at first sight.

Four years of study flew by very quickly. I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to become—and I still don’t know. Therefore, I jumped from one specialization to another until I settled on economics. I loved college. Not because it was possible to go on an eternal student spree - I only started drinking in my last year. I loved college because I had the freedom and a top-spec computer that could run the best games at the highest resolutions. My dorm roommates and I chipped in, bought a big TV and every gaming system available at the time, and spent hour after hour playing Super Smash Brothers, Halo, Mario Kart, Resident Evil and all the role-playing games (RPGs) we could get our hands on. The fall of my third year saw the release of Everquest 2, and my love affair with online video games flared up with renewed vigor. Now almost all of my time was spent leveling up my character in the newly created Norrath.

My final exams were approaching and I still had no plans for the future. One day my brother Jack called from frozen Chicago and said he wanted me to move with him to San Diego, California. Since there were no other ideas, I immediately agreed, after receiving my diploma, I moved to the West and chose the highest paying job that I could find in the industry that was willing to accept me. This was the area of rental and sale of construction equipment. “This can’t be too difficult,” I thought. “I like talking to people, and my parents are both in sales!”

We lived 18 meters from the ocean, I surfed, I had a company car, a stable salary and a job that didn’t let me get bored - and I was terribly unhappy! Every morning fell on me like a bag of cobblestones - and I learned to count the minutes until the moment when the shift was over and I could go home. I don't mean to bash the construction industry or the sales industry; It just took just a couple of days to realize that I was sitting in the wrong place and doing something that wasn’t my job - which was also turning out very badly. Luckily, I had a wallet full of money and a computer that was running Everquest 2. So I spent my days playing video games, my weekends getting drunk in bars or at home (again, playing Everquest), and saving my Sundays for walks along the beach, pushing back the tears, wondering what I was doing wrong, and feeling bitter. asking, “Will I really have to be this miserable for the next forty years?”

I saved Sundays for walks along the beach, pushing back the tears, wondering what I was doing wrong, asking myself, “Will I really have to be this miserable for the next forty years?”

Despite the fact that I didn’t have enough stars in my work, I still tried to improve - and did this for more than a year, hoping that the situation would improve. I will say right away: this did not happen. Moreover, it only got worse! My boss ordered GPS-devices for our sales trucks, and I clearly remember how one day he called me at 7.05 in the morning. “Steve,” he said, “I see your truck is still parked at your house. Why haven't you left yet? The working day begins at seven in the morning." To outwit him, I simply moved from one work site to another, quickly blurting out my advertising slogans and, as a rule, getting turned away. Then he would sit in the truck and read some Harry Potter novel for twenty minutes before repeating the whole process again; This continued until the working day ended. I, who was an excellent student academically, couldn't help but think about how far I had fallen in just a couple of short years. To be honest, I’m even grateful that I was so unhappy in this job, because a happier existence probably would not have motivated me to act!

So, it was around this time that I had that same panic attack on the plane, and I decided that drastic changes and adventures were just what the doctor ordered. I just spent an amazing weekend in Nashville catching up with some college friends—and for the first time, I was truly happy.

I stepped off the plane a different person and decided a change was needed. I contacted some friends I had just visited and they told me they were looking for a third person to rent a new apartment in Atlanta. The next morning I walked decisively into my brother's room and told him that I had to leave for Atlanta as soon as possible. Fortunately, he actively supported me and helped me start my job search; my boss, I must say, liked this idea much less.

Looking through the advertisements, I saw an offer for a job that required “creativity, a love of music, and a willingness to travel frequently.” The vacancy was in a company called Sixthman, which gave me a “warm fuzzy feeling.” ( Sixthman produces floating music festivals by renting cruise ships and filling them with musicians of various genres).

During the interview, they asked me which movie inspires me the most. With a recent mundane and boring existence in California under my belt, I began to rant about the movie The Shawshank Redemption, in which the prisoner protagonist refuses to allow himself to be crushed and destroyed by prison walls. As fate would have it, Shawshank turned out to be the company owner's favorite film, and I was hired as a marketing assistant.

Even though the salary was less than half of what it was in San Diego, I fell head over heels in love with it all: working with people I admired, making a direct impact on the world - and my office life turned into amazing interactions with incredible musicians. On the cruise, the company gave me the task of writing about my experiences on board; it was a test of the pen. After I showed my essay to my bosses, I was made responsible for the company blog. And I really enjoyed telling stories that inspire people to live a vibrant, adventurous life.

By the way, although the time spent on these cruises and the office gave me sincere pleasure, I “hung out” on Everquest 2 whenever possible. Deep down I felt that something was still missing. I no longer dreaded Mondays, there were many events in life to look forward to, but something inside told me that my future still awaited me elsewhere. The year before, I purchased the domain NerdFitness.com with the idea of helping “nerds” like me avoid making fatal mistakes in the gym by trying to become healthy straight away. I enjoyed the physical activity, but saw that my fitness and dreams of starting my own company were put on the back burner as the wizard Morphos Novastorm demanded more and more time.

And then fate intervened again. When I was doing a dungeon raid in Everquest, the fan in the computer shut down and many of the components burned out. That's when I made a vow to myself: since I don't have the money to fix or replace my computer right now, I won't allow myself to play Everquest until I make something worthwhile out of it. Nerd Fitness. I spent 18 months living a double life: by day I was a marketer in... Sixthman, and in the evenings he worked on Nerd Fitness: wrote articles, interacted with readers, and helped people make informed decisions about nutrition and exercise. I slept in fits and starts, but most of the time I was happy and energized as hell: I had finally found my way. True development and adventure were still hidden from me, but they were getting closer day by day. And life became more and more interesting.

After 8 months of work on Nerd Fitness It became clear that my destiny was tied to this website and the community it was creating. And then I made a radically difficult decision: to leave a great job and devote myself entirely to what I love - helping people lead a healthy lifestyle. Luckily, my boss was incredibly understanding and asked how he could support my dream. To this day, Andy and I remain good friends, and I consider him my first adviser. From time to time I had to take on part-time jobs to make ends meet until Nerd Fitness grew up I carried heavy concert equipment, worked at beer stands at festivals, painted floors in recording booths late at night - and tried to focus on the real life I wanted to create for myself.

And one day it dawned on me. Instead of continuing to fight Everquest or kill time with other games, books and movies, I decided to turn... life itself into a game. And a lot has changed. During the day I worked on NerdFitness.com, spending hours on my laptop typing up articles and contacting people. In the evenings, I could become the adventurer Steve Cambe, actively planning crazy adventures that were supposed to lure me out of the cozy hobbit hole into distant lands, to fateful twists of fate and adventure.

Fuck wish lists - they're boring and unoriginal; only a lucky few manage to cross out some points from them! My game will be called "Epic Quest of Splendor". I drew inspiration from my favorite movies, video games and books. He developed a system that allowed him to gain experience points, complete quests, complete missions - and raise his standard of living. I created a list of things that were challenging both physically, like doing a handstand push-up, or learning a martial art, and mentally, like learning to play a musical instrument or learning a new language. They pushed me out of my comfort zone, offering to try exotic dishes like crocodile meat or visit a foreign country whose language I didn’t speak. They made me worry about financial independence: starting my own business and paying off student loan debts. They also encouraged us to help people by volunteering and donating to charity.

Then I started looking at the world map as if it were in a video game. South America became the “jungle zone”, Africa – the “desert zone”. I identified all the missions, goals, and quests I wanted to complete in each “zone” to help me live the life I wanted. And he even created a level system in which every time he crossed off another goal from his list, he received experience points on the way to the next level. Having gained enough experience, he moved on to the next level. Ended up modeling my life on the mechanics of the game that had previously kept me glued to the screen. Instead of leveling up in Everquest, I started leveling up in real life.

Inspired by my favorite games and movies, I decided to embark on a life-changing quest around the world. I wanted to check whether the very idea of “life is a game” could be realized. He sold almost everything, packed his backpack, and set off on an epic journey that would have made Marco Polo cringe with envy. I visited a dozen countries, crossed out several dozen items from my wish list, and said “what the $%#@ am I doing?!” at least a hundred times - and returned home a completely different “nerd.”

I was so inspired by my favorite games and films that I decided to go on a life-changing quest around the world to see if this whole “life is a game” idea could actually be realized.

Now I look like Indiana Jones. During the day I am a “regular person”, working on Nerd Fitness, seek information and write articles to inspire and educate people who want to take control of their lives. In the evenings I plan my next adventures. Therefore, I go to bed inspired by dreams, and wake up in pleasant excitement.

As in any video game, I started from the first level and gradually began to increase it. I identified the first few goals that I could easily achieve, which gave me confidence in more severe challenges. I increased my productivity so I could do more in less time, freed myself up to build my business, stay fit, do my research—all while still giving myself room to play video games.