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I love to rise through levels of learning and accomplishment. I think we all do. The sense of pride we get is programmed into us early in our school lives, when we go from 1st grade to 2nd grade, and so on.

Graduating and moving up to the next level is very empowering!

Experts in gamification are great at the use of levels in game play – they know very well how earning the next level can become addicting. It is incredibly gratifying to many players to start at level one and move up to level 100 after a few days (or weeks!) of concentrated effort.  They feel smarter, stronger, and safer deep in their subconscious minds.

The same is true when we work in a big company. Going from Junior Associate to Associate to Senior Associate usually brings a pay raises, but it’s the sense of pride that really counts.

Unfortunately, if you have your own business, it’s hard to tell when you have “Leveled Up”. There aren’t any well-defined criteria and there aren’t any points or badges unless we give them to ourselves.

Think about it. How do we tell when an entrepreneur goes from Level 3 to Level 4? Is it when the business becomes profitable? Does she get the badge when she sells the business and gives her investors a return?

Likewise, it’s hard to tell when we have Leveled Up in our personal lives.

For example, when does a personal partner go from being a Level 1 Partner to a Level 5 Partner? Is it when they learn to communicate their thoughts and feelings, or when they collaborate well on an important issue? Is it when they have your back and supports you when you need it most?

When does a friend go from Level 6 to Level 7? Is it when they drop everything to come sit with you when you are down in the dumps?

And regarding personal growth, when do we go from “mostly unconscious” to “mostly conscious”?  Can we give ourselves a pat on the back or a badge for that?  What labels do we use to describe our journey and the progress we have made?

It’s tough to tell. Some clues come from our friends saying something like “Wow! You have really changed!” or when you realize it’s been a few weeks since you had an argument with your spouse, and you used to argue every day.

Here’s the good news: you get to decide. You get to declare to yourself “I have Leveled Up!” and enjoy the empowerment and satisfaction that it brings.  And if you are lucky, you can share that insight with your close friends.

I know I’ve Leveled Up. I’m a lot more grounded, centered, balanced, wise, and loving than I have ever been.

I’m a much different person than I was 10 years ago.  I’ve done the work and paid the price; I earned the badge.

Have you Leveled Up, too?

Keep Being Awesome!

– Paul

P.S.  I love helping people level up in their businesses and their personal lives! Give me a call if you could use a boost. 415.997.8001

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