Let’s play a game, shall we?
You probably got all excited, didn’t you?
We’re not actually playing, but I want you to catch that feeling. Fun flips a switch. Suddenly, you're ready to take action. When you say “I’m on a mission” or “I’m going to win this,” something shifts. Even when things get hard, energy rises instead of dropping.
What's the difference between fun and hard work?
Believe it or not, it's just the story and a few gamification rules. All kinds of fitness competitions feel fun and yet most of them are the hardest thing you've done. Why do people sign up for them in hundreds and thousands?
There’s a reason why so many top companies from banks to facebook build gamification into everything. It works.
One key principle? Progress.
Gamification shows you how far you’ve come. It keeps you hooked, engaged, and moving forward, uses all the sunk costs and other fallacies your brain has. And the best part? You can use this on yourself.
Whatever your mission, getting fit, building a business, becoming your superhero self, make it a quest. That boring stretch of daily chicken and inbox-checking becomes slaying monsters and unlocking levels.
So… let’s play.
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Name your mission, name your quest. Get creative. Make it fun!
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Define your daily quest (the stuff that actually needs doing).
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Track it. Make progress visible. A jar of beads. A chart. My favorite? 100 boxes, one for each day. No day goes unchecked, no day without a mission.
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Do a daily review. Like you would playing Mario. What worked? What didn’t? What will it take to level up?
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Celebrate milestones. Not just end goals. Games have levels for a reason! If they just put you up against the main bad guy and said - go figure - would the game be fun?
It’s simple. When something feels like a game, you’ll do it more often. You’ll stay longer. You’ll show up.
AND it'll feel like fun.
Have you ever gamified your fitness, business, or any personal goal? I'm starting to do this with clients now. ANYTHING can be gamified.
Let’s play to win. Let's level up. Let's gamify your hero's journey - you have one.
P.S. Companies across industries are using gamification to drive behavior. Banks. Non-profits. Startups. Why? Because it taps into how motivation really works. Here are all the case studies.
On strongest discipline. People who have it create a personal quest. That's what get them going 😉🏆
