Before I ever built a business, I built characters.
I’ve been a World of Warcraft player for years, long enough to know that Azeroth teaches you a lot more than combat mechanics. It teaches patience, strategy, and above all, perseverance.
I play every spec just for fun, but two of my mains are pure me.
🩸 Lilise, my Blood Elf Blood Death Knight on Bladefist, and 🐺 Deanniea, my Blood Elf Beast Master Hunter on Thrall. (For the Horde!)
Back when I first started, I used to get so irritated dying over and over again. I’d slam my mouse down, curse the lag, and swear I was done for the night. But eventually, I realized something crucial. Every death wasn’t failure. It was practice.
Each time I fell, I learned.
Each time I resurrected, I adjusted.
And slowly, the boss that once felt impossible became muscle memory.
That’s when it hit me, life works the same way.
We all enter our own boss fights: a tough week at work, a project that flops, a relationship that drains us, a dream that feels just out of reach. And just like in the game, we sometimes go in undergeared, unprepared, or flat-out exhausted. We fall. Sometimes repeatedly.
But every “death” (every setback) teaches us something we didn’t know before.
It’s data. It’s experience points. It’s resilience in disguise.
You haven’t failed until you stop respawning.
In my business, I’ve had listings flop, projects stall, and plans that didn’t go as expected. One of those lessons was my foray into nail wraps, beautiful, fun, sparkly little creations that made people smile… but deep down, they weren’t me.
They were cute, feminine, and stylish, everything I could admire, but not something that felt true to my hands, my heart, or my life. I’m happiest treasure-hunting through antiques, polishing old silver, wrapping crystals, or tending to animals out on the farm. Pretty nails just don’t survive that kind of joy.
So I learned something important there too: not every good idea belongs to your soul’s questline.
And that’s okay.
Sometimes the only way to find your right path is to walk a few wrong ones first. Every detour adds wisdom, every failed attempt adds insight, and every “what was I thinking?” moment brings you closer to knowing who you really are and what you’re meant to build.
That’s the real secret of gaming, and of life.
Persistence outplays perfection every time.
You may not win the first round, or the tenth. But one day, after learning from every fall, you’ll walk back into the fight, calm, ready, confident, and you’ll drop that boss so cleanly you’ll laugh at how impossible it once felt.
So if you’re struggling today, in business, in love, or in finding your path, remember this:
You are not failing. You’re leveling up.
Take a breath. Hit “Continue.” Try again.
Because no matter how many times you’ve been knocked down, the only real game over is when you stop trying.
💫 Respawn. Relearn. Rise.
You’ve got this, Player One.
