The forum has no cheerleader and chicken soup, so I recommended one

I looked some threads like "Is it worth to be an Indie" or "Don't quit the job as an indie"....... I don't find any chicken soup from the replies.

I searched the forum, these is no keyword for "Tony Robbins". While I think his talk can bring some new mindesets.

I think not everyone can accept his points, that's very good. I also think "Has to be" indie can benefit from his talks because "Has to be" indie can't be hired by other studios because of age or expeirence factors.
"Having a job" indies should be careful , a wrong decision maybe let you lose current job.

 

Tony Robbins just shouts platitudes that have no actionable qualities that actually help people.

 

I think he focuses on mindsets and emotion control, that is helpful for indie devs under different presures.

 

It isn't because he literally just says you have to do that, but he gives no practical help for people, especially people suffering from mental illness.

 

It's not science. So it doesn't need standard procedure manual. It is a little like religion. Do you agree, religion can help people?

 

Of course it can help people. So can weed.

 

My first result for "opposite of science" was Quora with the comment "Conspiracy theories. The absence of evidence, is the evidence". I found it amusing.

 

There's really no guide book to feeling good... You either do, or you don't.. However I believe like Elon Musk does. I don't believe in motivation or hope. I just give it everything I got.

But with that said, you can either feel good, or you don't. Nothing can change a mental state in somebody more than they can on them selves. There's no book on what works. Only what has worked for others, some people it's literally just a mental shift from A to B, others it takes time, or perhaps others will never feel good about anything no matter how hard they try... Dealing with Motivation videos like Tony Robbins does feel good to hear, I feel good hearing of other successes. But that doesn't motivate me, it just reminds me there's always a chance.

With that note, I'll be like Elon Musk. Just give it everything I got, and if it doesn't work, at least I tried. There's no sense on dwelling on anything, because if you accomplish it, the bar just got raised. So you have to keep going.

 

It seems Elon Musk has a strange thinking.

 

Yes it is. It is purely a mental exercise where you figure out what works and does not work, then design a solution. This is repeated until the game is done.

As for everyone struggling:

People who have no normal amount of spine (most normal people have the capability to put in effort for reward) will switch from excuse to excuse and from preacher to preacher, to look for some kind of easy way out.

That never works, has never worked and will never work. the only thing that works is choosing to do it or choosing not to do it. Emotions have nothing to do with it. Choice does. Now you choose to eat a cream cake and get fat, or you choose to eat healthily.

Same for game dev. You want to build a game? Here is how:

• Decide if it's business or pleasure or a mix
• Design something that you believe will take a month to complete
• Spend a year doing it

 

He's not alone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis

 

People say Einstein has a strange way of thinking, but that didn't affect his abilities lol.
Perhaps we all need a strange way of thinking... The most brilliant people in the world have all been considered at one point, strange and would never amount to anything. perhaps there's some solid science to this. Or perhaps, it was just pure coincidence haha.

 

Yeah just the real strange way is something like believing there's a magic technique or something to handle magical emotions you have no control over.

I'm sure there's people who do struggle - I mean I struggle. But most people don't have an underlying medical reason, and it's those I'm talking about.

 

I contend there is no such thing as a "Has to be" indie. Indie requires more skills then working for a studio. With a studio one can specialize, being good at one thing. As an indie one has to be good at everything. Thus any person capable of being a successful indie developer could be at a studio instead.

The same goes for making a career out of games. Anyone with the skills and knowledge to pick up games could also pick up web design or database stuff. A successful indie could probably also make it as a engineer. And could definitely make it as a sales person or in fast food.

Indies are indie because they want to be.

There is of course a subset of people who don't have what it takes to make games at all. But if you aren't making successful games, or at least viable ones, you aren't an indie. You are a hobbyist or delusional.

 

Not that there's anything wrong with being a delusional indie with dreams. I think we've all been there ...

 

well then, that's one way of putting it

 

I've never actually gotten past that stage...

 

Figuring out what motivates a person and then hand-holding them through their own emotional roller coaster is too much work with little reward.

That's why people who've already done this for themselves say simple things like, "Do the work." "Just don't quit." "Don't be a little bitch." etc. Because in the end, adhering to a simple mantra is all it takes to get through any emotional issues. You just need a clear lighthouse to keep you on course. It's simple.

You've got to handle your own problems yourself. Every day I struggle with feelings of self-doubt, feeling sleepy, unmotivated, and so on. But if I spill all these silly problems into the public, am I strengthening the team or dragging the team down?

You deal with things one problem at a time, and then one day you die. That's life. If you want to be worthwhile, you make sure to leave something useful for posterity.

 

You must find something you love and then do it. If game development is it, then enjoy it. If you have to make money doing it, then find something else you love for your spare time.

I just lost my primary programmer. I felt like just giving up but then thought, what will I do all day? We now have contracts on the side now so busy with that and it brings in money, but....it is not nearly as much fun as making our own games. So, our little family team has decided to go on even though we are missing our essential link. It means scaling down, spending more time learning new things, and saving our money to hire some help.

I really had to think carefully about how we use our resources. Spending all my hours on someone else's dream isn't fulfilling to me. So back to the drawing board. If we fail, we will still have fun doing it. If we succeed, which really just means finish something, we will feel good!

Our family has been through a tough time recently, lots of tears and shouting and feeling sad. Pushing through it can be hard but we are going to try. Life is too short to spend your time regretting what you gave up.

 

It is possible to do both as well. I love making games, it's a career and hobby. The benefit is that both tend to feed into each other.

 

I found out, I wiash I was told that early in my life, that is something much stronger than faith, skills, knowledge, belief, motivation or emotion ...

Habit

Aka just do the stuff without thinking about doing the stuff. Just form an habit.

Habit are powerful because we are lazy, it's comforting, and also it forces you set aside dedicated time and pattern. You don't have to think if you are progressing, because of course you are, that's the nature of doing things. You aren't focus on finishing or the future, there is no anticipation, because that's about what you are doing now, so motivation or faith isn't really the factor as you put expectation on the backburner, which mean less burn out. You aren't focus on emotion, because it has nothing to do with it, it's just the thing you do. Then when you finish, you have grown in experience, knowledge and skills, you haven't spend time waiting because you worry about expectation, worth or return, and you have the hindsight that allows you to speak on authority on the problem you manage to get pass through. It's an habit, so it doesn't matter if you have a day job or not, you just slot it in its timeframe. I mean nobody ask himself if there is a need for a day job to brush his teeth or breath, nor if it's worth to make these action, it's habit, they are taken for granted. Just do stuff as an habit, and let the emotion flow around, it lift a weight that allows to focus on thing that truly matters, and like the chineese proverb said: rain and sun come and go, if nothing is stable in the heaven, why would you be? Leave emotion and motivation for thing that matter, and anything else is just an habit you form.

I hate programming, I just picked the habit.

 

The power of habit, it's still difficult.

 

You cannot escape difficultly!

 

Gah!

Science is not an institution. Science is not text and canon. Science is a method you use to ask questions and find answers. It is a practical application.

Whether you are flying to the moon or trying to figure out why you feel sad on Tuesdays, you use the scientific method to discover the right questions to ask and then figure out the possible answers. Learn to science (like, actually read about it. It will help you immensely throughout all of life)!

 

Sometimes.

 

I don't know whether you are right or not about emotions.

But there are some other videos (perhaps pseudoscience).

 

I'm not watching all that!

About emotions, I am speaking in broad terms. Everythhing is a matter of degree. There is being a little baby, and there is having clinical depression. Sometimes it's hard to know the difference, even with yourself. Whatever the case may be, you find out the truth by using the scientific method to systematically sort all the data. Again, science isn't just something "scientist" do and then deliver a sermon to you. It is a practice. It's a systematic way to observe the world, and figure out what the heck is really going on.

Whatever issues you face, you can get through by having clear goals that can be reduced to simple mantra's. This has been the case wwith me at least, and I've done a variety of difficult and dangerous things, so I think it can hold true for endeavors like game making.

 

Nobody is going to watch an entire video. Just write your thoughts succinctly.

 

Most videos are only several minute long. I think the video is more vivid than my word, and the importance is that the video has so many thumbs up.

 

Ok... we have strayed pretty far away from game development. If you need help managing your life and emotions, consult a professional, or subscribe to one of those self help gurus on late night tv.

Closing.