Game Mindset: Unlock waypoints first

In games

Most games have waypoints.

Reach a new area, activate the waypoint, and you can instantly teleport back anytime. Even if you die, you don’t have to start from the beginning.

Here’s the key: progress before reaching a waypoint doesn’t count.

Die halfway there? Start over from the last waypoint. Die at 80%? Still start over from the last waypoint.

The path before a waypoint can be tough, but once you reach it, everything changes. No matter how many times you die after that, you can continue from here.

Regular saves give you a safety net, knowing you can reload anytime. Waypoints save you from retracing your steps.

Experienced players prioritize finding waypoints when entering a new map. They know that’s where real progress is made.

In reality

In real life, waypoints don’t glow. So we often don’t know how far we are from the next one.

Abandon a skill halfway through learning it, and it’s like you never learned it.
Abandon an article halfway through writing it, and no one will ever see it.
Meet someone new but don’t exchange contact info, and next time you’re still strangers.

80% and 0% yield the same result: you have to start from scratch next time.

The journey might feel like you’re making no progress, but if you keep moving forward, once you cross that threshold, everything changes.

Skills: Learn something well enough to use it, and you can use it whenever you want.
Work: Publish something, and that piece will keep opening doors for you forever.
Connections: Build a real relationship, and one message can pick up where you left off.
Templates: Get a process running smoothly, and you can copy-paste it forever.

But unlike games, waypoints in real life need maintenance.

Skills get rusty without practice. Relationships fade without contact. Templates can become outdated.

In games, once you unlock a waypoint, it stays lit forever. In real life, you need to go back and “reactivate” them occasionally.

Still, even with maintenance, it’s so much easier than starting from zero every time.

Unlock waypoints first.

Player notes

I’m the classic “three-minute enthusiasm” type. So I have a lot of waypoints I never activated.

Guitar: practiced for two months, then quit. Drawing: did a few sketches, then lost interest. Side projects: got halfway through, then jumped to a more interesting idea.

A few years ago, I followed an online course and spent two weeks making my first song. I was happy with it. But when I hit a wall on the second song, I stopped. Now I’ve completely forgotten how to use music production software. If I wanted to compose again, I’d have to start from scratch.

I thought finishing one song meant I’d unlocked something. Not even close. That skill never became my waypoint.

Looking back, these were all paths where I quit at 80%. It looked like effort, but I never actually unlocked anything.

Japanese is one of the few waypoints I truly unlocked. I worked in Japan for two years and forced myself to get conversational.

It’s been almost ten years since I left Japan, and my speaking has gotten rusty. But “knowing Japanese” is still there. I can read, understand, and handle basic conversations. The waypoint is still lit, just a bit dusty. When I want to use it again, I just need to brush it off. So much faster than starting from zero.

My biggest regret is relationships.

In school, I stayed in my dorm reading novels and playing games. When roommates invited me to events, I was too lazy to go. When classmates asked me to lunch, I said “next time.” Those relationships that could have become waypoints? I never even walked over to activate them.

I regret it now. Not in some calculating “networking” way, but those genuine connections could have become precious shortcuts in life. I ignored them all. Now I treasure the people I meet along the way much more.

Writing is another kind of waypoint for me.

Every time I write, I think through an idea completely. Next time I face a similar problem, I don’t have to think it through again. I can just “teleport” to that mental model.

Writing this book is the same. I hope each principle becomes a waypoint that helps me avoid some wrong turns.

But honestly, I still forget sometimes. Like someone who can’t handle spicy food but eats it anyway, then regrets it on the toilet. You know the lesson, but you don’t always remember it when temptation strikes.

So waypoints aren’t just about unlocking them. You have to keep reminding yourself they exist. Otherwise, the shortcuts your past self worked hard to create will go to waste.

Leveling tips

□ List the things you “quit halfway through.” Ask yourself: which one is most worth going back to unlock?
□ Next time you want to quit, ask: how far am I from the waypoint? Push through if you’re close
□ If you do something more than twice, build a template. Turn that path into a waypoint
□ Reach out to one fading friend each month. Maintaining waypoints is easier than meeting new people
□ Write down important lessons you’ve learned and review them often. Writing is the best waypoint. Your future self will thank you