“Superheroes play big. Rise up against the gray reality and be the hero of your life." Steve Camb

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 dare every time I had an absurd idea. Mom, I promise that I will continue to tell you about all kinds of crazy things only after I commit them!

To the grandmother who bought a computer so she could read my newsletters - thanks for putting up with my bad language, bah! To my other grandparents who, after living long, inspiring lives, passed away while I was away adventuring. I miss you so much!

To all the Resistance! Thanks to the Nerd Fitness community, full of non-heroic-looking heroes and weirdos, for putting my words into action and living a life full of daily adventures.

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

Introduction. everyday world

— Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco, 2 am.

- One more…

I was sitting at a blackjack table in the most famous casino in the world. My heart was pounding. I did my best to remain calm and cool, despite the stress: as much money was at stake as I had spent the previous week. I ordered another cocktail (shaken, not stirred), straightened my bow tie, and told a "peppered" joke to some new friends from Ireland sitting next to me. The next few tense minutes showed how the players behave: the dealer slowly turned over the cards, took another one and ... bust! There was applause. I calmly collected my chips, inwardly dancing a jig and goofing with joy.

After we celebrated the victory with new friends, late at night, I returned to the hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. By the way, this is literally said: the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel really stands on stilts right above the water. I woke up the next morning, had breakfast watching billion-dollar yachts enter Monaco harbor - and proudly crossed out the important item from my Epic Quest of Splendor: "Live one weekend like James Bond."

People who saw me that evening in the casino would hardly believe who I really was and how my life had changed over the previous year. It probably never occurred to anyone that I rented a tuxedo from a tailor in a neighboring town, and the hotel room was paid for by hotel bonuses and cost me nothing. They were not destined to find out that, despite this Motov weekend, I am a very thrifty guy and thanks to luck at the gambling tables I managed to earn good money! Yes, it's hard to imagine a charming witty gentleman in a tuxedo playing brilliantly 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 given where I started. Like any young person growing up in the 1980s, I spent most of my time in my favorite books, video games, and movies. And he did it for one, but good reason: out of a desire to escape. From the next school day, devoid of difficulties, interest and development. From boring hours at a boring job, where I lived in a position that did not correspond to the strengths of my personality. In a word, as far as possible to escape 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 what was disheartening, where there was no health, no happiness, no inspiration, no real cause for excitement? Why bother with "real life" when you can sit down at a computer or game console and easily realize your fantasies - like an omnipotent hot pepper that can rule the whole world? In reality, I was a skinny 23-year-old with no money, no life purpose, and a developing sociopathy. But in the game world, I was able to defeat that fucking dragon! And very soon, real life turned into boring painful episodes - between the bright hours of on-screen adventures.

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

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

By the age of 25, I had never traveled outside of North America. But then he managed to visit more than 20 countries, walked the Great Wall of China, hunted down wild animals in South Africa, explored the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia - and entered his best physical form. I volunteer whenever possible, making 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. One early morning, my friend and I went up to the observation deck overlooking the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. And this prompted me to implement another grand 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 in less than a day, I was spinning barrels and corkscrews in a stunt airplane (with the help of a co-pilot), fulfilling a childhood fantasy of "maintaining foreign contacts" - exactly like the Maverick in the movie "Top Gun".

A few days after flying in one airplane, I parachuted from another. What happened two days later? I jumped off the Kawaru Bridge—the birthplace of bungee jumping—and plunged up to my waist into an icy river before taking off from the water like a rocket into outer space.

And in the evening I went scuba diving and swimming with sharks off the Great Barrier Reef. We sat in the boat, preparing to dive: a slanting downpour was whipping, downhole music was coming from the speakers, and sharks were circling below us. It felt like I was living a scene out of a Tom Clancy novel. With this adventure over, I spent the next day exploring a vibrant, colorful coral reef that was home to a large pink anemone and wonderful little clown fish. Yes, yes, that's right: I found Nemo. Mission complete!

I tell you all this not as a man who was destined to live a life of adventure; I am by no means going to brag about how wonderfully my fate has changed. Vice versa! I speak for a risk-averse introvert, capricious and picky eater, who felt more comfortable at home in front of a computer than in public - and eventually became an intrepid traveler traveling around the world. How did I do it? 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 that I secretly dreamed of. In essence, I redesigned life around my own Epic Splendor Quest. I excluded everything unimportant and unnecessary - in order to fully embody in the game that I imagined for myself. At the same time, I led the usual life of a writer, a “nerd” and a gamer.

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

Actually I already taught thousands of people that the minute we talk, they go on an adventure. 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 Resistance membership. Not only will I draw you a chart that you can follow to start living the way the characters in your favorite video games, books, and movies live. I will share with you dozens of stories from members of our diverse community of rebels - unheroic-looking heroes, "weaklings" and sudden adventurers. I will tell you:

As a teacher of the seventh grade, he traveled to five continents in 4 years without taking a single dollar in debt.

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

How one Rebel living below the poverty line reassembled his life 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 started a smartphone app company.

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

As a clinical hematology specialist, he reshaped his life by taking up nature research and 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 to make such dramatic changes in your life, know that you're not alone. We've all gone through this. Immersed in routine, instead of enjoying every moment. We counted the days until the weekend, barely making it to the next year - and waiting for some mythical day when “everything settles down” and we finally begin to live the way we want. Thoughtlessly 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 J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, quietly leading a quiet existence in his hobbit hole, avoiding anything that could be dangerous or adventurous. We know that we are mired in everyday life, we dream of something more, but we can’t determine what it is. Year after year, nothing changes - and one day we look back and ask ourselves: “What the hell is wrong with me ?!” If all 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 be sad, I'll show you how to experience a life you can be proud of, an adventure that will inspire your friends. I will teach you to do what you once dreamed of. Whether it's travel or choosing a new instrument, opening a website or learning 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, what matters is where you go. 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 a thrill, I'll be happy to help.

The second rule: if you join the "Resistance", then 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 require from 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 ways to get a little better, a little closer to the goal. And this journey 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, let's take the red pill, shall we?

Part I. Call of Adventure

Chapter 1. Leaving the Shire

Once upon a time there lived a hobbit in a hole underground. Not in some nasty, dirty, damp burrow where worm tails stick out on all sides and it smells disgustingly of mold, but not in a dry sandy bare burrow where there is nothing to sit on and nothing to eat. No, the hole was a hobbit, 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 timid nerd to fearless Indiana Jones, listen. It all started in 2007 with a panic attack.

He covered me on the plane as I was returning 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 adventure - but the reality was very different from dreams. After a boring day at a boring job, in the evening I hurried behind the computer screen, killing hour after hour in video games - to escape from existence, boring and aimless. I ate the same food, did the same monotonous tasks, and put off adventure and self-development for better times, when my life would be "not so busy." It felt like I was having a "mid-life crisis" at 23. As Ben Franklin said, "Some people die at 25 and are only buried at 75." He seemed to be talking about me.

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

After all, I had a completely normal childhood (if you can call a childhood in a town called Sandwich “normal”). I'll answer your first two questions right off the bat: yes, our police cars had "Sandwich Police" written on them; and no, our school mascot was not a sandwich. As a child, I had an overactive imagination, dividing my free time equally between games like The Legend of Zelda and adventuring in our garden, where I played Link, dressed in the tunic of the game's hero. It sincerely 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, wore braces for the third year in a row, and somehow managed to get acne - a faithful companion of puberty, but without the accompanying rapid growth. 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 high school basketball team, because my brother was the team's captain - and he himself was proud of his efforts. However, all 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 that are usually 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 a wildly popular World of Warcraft-style MMORPG; there created a world of wizards, warriors and dragons. I didn't have a driver's license or a girlfriend, so all weekends and summer nights were devoted to other explorations: I explored the game world of Norrath as the character Morphos Novastorm, the erudite wizard. It was no longer necessary to use the imagination to fill in the gaps, because Norrath had it all: towering mountains, deep dark seas full of secrets, uninhabited islands, haunted houses, caves, castles and everything else.

What started as a way to blow off steam after school or a tedious job quickly turned into an addiction. I distinctly remember a couple of nights after marathon gaming sessions, when I tried to sneak into bed quietly 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 I realized that it was time to go work out my 12-hour shift of my summer day, filling supermarket shelves with Coca-Cola. The pay was excellent for this job, but, my friend, how unhappy I was!

Although I devoted a significant part of the time to the game after classes and on weekends, I also took care not to neglect my studies. Having an older brother who graduated second-best in his class set the stage for me to go out of my way—but unnecessarily—to force myself 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 ended up choosing to study at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. I didn't know much about this institution other than the fact that it has a great reputation and the climate in Tennessee is better than in the Northeast. So when the university offered a decent academic scholarship, I decided to pay a visit to his campus - and fell in love with him at first sight.

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

Final exams were approaching, and I still had no plans for the future. One day my brother Jack called from a 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 graduation I moved to the West and chose the highest paying job that I could find in the industry that wanted to accept me. It was the area of rental and sale of construction equipment. “It can't be too hard,” I thought. “I love 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 did not 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 ended and it was possible to go home. I'm not going to berate the construction industry or sales; it just took a couple of days to realize that I was sitting in the wrong place and minding my own business - which, moreover, turned out badly. Luckily, I had a wallet full of money and a computer running Everquest 2. So I spent days playing video games, weekends getting drunk in bars or at home (again, playing Everquest), and Sundays I saved for walking along the beach, driving tears inside, wondering what I was doing wrong, and bitterly asking, "Will I have to be so miserable for the next forty years?"

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

Despite the fact that I did not have enough stars from the sky in my work, I still tried to improve - and did this for more than a year, hoping that the situation would improve. Let me tell you straight away: this did not happen. Moreover, it only got worse! My boss ordered GPS-devices on our vending trucks, and I distinctly remember him calling me one day at 7:05 am. “Steve,” he said, “I see your truck is still parked outside your house. Why haven't you left yet? The working day starts at seven in the morning. To outsmart him, I simply moved from one work site to another, quickly spouting my advertising slogans and, as a rule, getting a turn from the gate. Then he would get into the truck and read a Harry Potter novel for twenty minutes before repeating the whole process again; This went on until the end of the day. I, who was an A student in my studies, couldn't help thinking how low I had fallen in just a couple of short years. Frankly, I am even grateful to fate for being so miserable at this job, for a happier existence would probably not have prompted me to act!

So, around this time, I had that same panic attack on the plane, and I decided that drastic change and adventure was what the doctor ordered. I just had a delightful weekend in Nashville, meeting up with fellow college students—and for the first time I was truly happy.

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

Looking through the ads, I saw a job offer that required "creativity, love of music and a willingness to travel frequently." The position was at a company called sixthman which gave me a "warm fluffy feeling". ( sixthman produces floating music festivals by renting cruise ships and filling them with musicians of various genres).

During the interview, I was asked which film inspires me the most. With a recent mundane and boring existence in California behind me, I began to rant about the film The Shawshank Redemption, in which the main character, a prisoner, refuses to let the prison walls overwhelm and destroy him. As fate would have it, Shawshank was the company owner's favorite film, and I was hired as a marketing assistant.

Although the salary was less than half what it was in San Diego, I fell head over heels in love with it all: working with people I admired, directly influencing 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 impressions on board; it was a test of the pen. After I showed my essay to my superiors, I was put in charge of the company's blog. And I really enjoyed telling stories that inspire people to a vibrant life full of adventure.

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

And then fate intervened again. When I was doing a dungeon raid in Everquest, a fan in the computer was covered, and many components burned out. It was then that I made a vow to myself: since there is no money now to fix or replace the computer, I will not allow myself to play Everquest until I do something worthwhile from Nerd Fitness. I spent 18 months living a double life: by day I was a marketer in sixthman and in the evenings 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 content and energized as hell: I finally found my way. True development and adventure have so far been hidden from me, but are 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 is connected with this website and the community that is being created. 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. Fortunately, my boss showed enviable 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 lugged heavy live gear, worked at beer stands at festivals, painted floors in recording rooms late at night—and tried to focus on the real life I wanted to build for myself.

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

To hell with wishlists - they're boring and unoriginal; only a few lucky people manage to cross out some points from them! My game will be called "Epic Splendor Quest". I drew inspiration from my favorite movies, video games and books. Developed a system that allowed you to gain experience points, complete quests, complete missions - and raise the standard of living. I created a list of things that were both physically difficult, like doing push-ups on my hands or learning a martial art, and intellectually, like learning to play a musical instrument or learning a new language. They pushed me out of my comfort zone by offering to try exotic dishes like crocodile meat or visit a foreign country whose language I did not speak. They forced them to take care of financial independence: to create their own business and pay off student loan debts. They were also encouraged to help people by volunteering and donating to charity.

Then I began to look at the world map as if it were in a video game. South America has become a "jungle zone", Africa - a "desert zone". I defined all the missions, goals, and quests I wanted to complete in each "zone" to help myself live the life I wanted. And he even created a level system in which every time, deleting the next goal from his list, he received experience points on the way to the next level. Having gained enough experience, he moved to the next level. Ended up modeling my life as a game mechanic that used to keep me close 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" can be realized. Sold almost everything, packed a backpack - and departed on an epic journey that would make Marco Polo cringe with envy. Traveled to a dozen countries, crossed a few dozen items off my wish list, said “what $%#@ am I doing?!” at least a hundred times - and returned home a completely different "nerd".

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

Now I look like Indiana Jones. During the day, I'm an "ordinary 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 a pleasant excitement.

As in any video game, I started with the first level - and gradually began to raise it. Defined the first few goals that I was able to achieve easily, which gave me the confidence to face the toughest challenges. I've been more productive to get more done in less time, freed up to build my business, stay fit, do research—and still have the opportunity to play video games.

Don't waste your life! Make vivid impressions a part of everyday reality. Google and Facebook invite Steve Camb to lecture, and thousands of people have already joined the uprising against the gray routine.

If you have always dreamed of adventure, but did not dare, like a hobbit, to leave the familiar "burrow", this book is for you. She will explain how you can completely transform your life using the strategies of your favorite video games, movies and books. Stop running away from her into fictional worlds.

Introduction. everyday world

Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco, 2 am.

One more…

After we celebrated the victory with new friends, late at night, I returned to the hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. By the way, this is literally said: the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel really stands on stilts right above the water. I woke up the next morning, ate breakfast watching billion-dollar yachts enter Monaco harbor - and proudly crossed out an important item from my Epic Quest of Splendor: "Live one weekend like James Bond."

Why waste time in a boring world where you had to deal with what was disheartening, where there was no health, no happiness, no inspiration, no real cause for excitement? Why bother with "real life" when you can sit down at a computer or game console and easily realize your fantasies - like an omnipotent hot pepper that can rule the whole world? In reality, I was a skinny 23-year-old with no money, no life purpose, and a developing sociopathy. But in the game world, I was able to defeat that fucking dragon! And very soon real life turned into boring painful episodes - between the bright hours of on-screen adventures.

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

But one day, something changed. Instead of immersing myself in games and using them as a way of escaping from reality, I set some levers in motion - and began to do those amazing things that I had only dared to dream about before. Yes, yes, I turned life into a giant video game - and fulfilled the fantasies of adored characters in reality.

A few days after flying in one airplane, I parachuted from another. What happened two days later? I jumped from the Kawaru Bridge - the birthplace of bungee jumping - and plunged up to my waist into an icy river before taking off from the water like a rocket into outer space.

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

As a teacher of the seventh grade, he traveled to five continents in 4 years without taking a single dollar in debt.

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

How one Rebel living below the poverty line reassembled his life 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 started a smartphone app company.

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

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

We are the equivalent of Bilbo Baggins, the hero of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, quietly leading a quiet existence in his hobbit hole, avoiding anything that could be dangerous and adventurous. We know that we are mired in everyday life, we dream of something more, but we can’t determine what it is. Year after year, 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 by, then this book is for you.

Don't be sad, I'll show you how to experience a life you can be proud of, an adventure that will inspire your friends. I will teach you to do what you once dreamed of. Whether it's travelling, choosing a new instrument, opening a website or learning how to dance, Resistance will welcome you.

The second rule: if you join the "Resistance", then 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 require of you is to trust me, and when I ask you to take a leap of faith, do so. Our focus will be on continuous improvement, finding ways to get a little better, a little closer to the goal. And this journey 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, let's take the red pill, shall we?

Part I. Call of Adventure

Chapter 1. Leaving the Shire

Once upon a time there lived a hobbit in a hole underground. Not in some nasty, dirty, damp burrow where worm tails stick out on all sides and it smells disgustingly of mold, but not in a dry sandy bare burrow where there is nothing to sit on and nothing to eat. No, the hole was a hobbit, 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 a timid "nerd" to a fearless traveler Indiana Jones - listen. It all started in 2007 with a panic attack.

He covered me on the plane as I was returning 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 adventure - but the reality was very different from dreams. After a boring day at a boring job, in the evening I hurried behind the computer screen, killing hour after hour in video games - to escape from existence, boring and aimless. I ate the same food, did the same monotonous things - and put off adventure and self-development for better times, when my life would be "not so busy." It felt like I was having a "mid-life crisis" at 23. As Ben Franklin said, "Some people die at 25 and are only buried at 75." He seemed to be talking about me.

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

And then there were my four years at Sandwich High School. By the second year I was 155 cm tall, wore braces for the third year in a row and somehow managed to get acne - a faithful companion of puberty, but without the accompanying rapid growth. 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 high school basketball team, as my brother was its captain - and he himself was proud of his efforts. However, all 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 that are usually 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 a hugely popular World of Warcraft-style MMORPG; there created a world of wizards, warriors and dragons. I didn't have a driver's license or a girlfriend, so all weekends and summer nights were devoted to other explorations: I explored the game world of Norrath as the character Morphos Novastorm, the erudite wizard. It was no longer necessary to use the imagination to fill in the gaps, because Norrath had it all: towering mountains, deep dark seas full of secrets, uninhabited islands, haunted houses, caves, castles and everything else.

Superheroes play big. Rise up against the gray reality and be the hero of your life - Steve Camb (download)

(introductory fragment of the book)

Steve Camb

Superheroes play big. Rise up 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! Thanks to the Nerd Fitness community, full of non-heroic-looking heroes and weirdos, for putting my words into action and living a life full of daily adventures.

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

Introduction. everyday world

— Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco, 2 am.

- One more…

Genre:

Description of the book: Watching movies and reading books, people often envy the observable heroes who, from a gray and sad life, open up unimaginable adventures, changing their lives. The first thing you have to understand is that it's all fairy tales and happiness will never come to you on its own, this is the first and simple truth. The rest you need to know is in this book. All the secrets of finding an ideal life, full 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 days of active fight against piracy, most of the books in our library have only brief fragments for review, including the book Superheroes play for high stakes. Rise 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 buy it in the future. Thus, you support the work of the writer Steve Camb by legally purchasing the book if you liked its summary.

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

(No ratings yet)

Title: Superheroes Play Big. Rise up against the gray reality and become the hero of your life

About Superheroes Play Big. Rise up against the gray reality and be the hero of your life." Steve Camb

- make a list of epic goals and start their gradual achievement;

— to attract strong allies to your side and get a cool mentor;

- start traveling the world without any special financial costs;

- to achieve super results at work;

- acquire useful habits that will bring you closer to success day by day;

- pump the body, making it hardy enough for real adventures.

On our site about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “Superheroes play for high stakes. Rise up against the gray reality and be the hero of your life" by Steve Camb in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and a real pleasure to read. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For novice writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you can try your hand at writing.