What You Think Of Most, Becomes Your Reality

Before the first light bulb came into physical existence, it was just a thought. Before the first aircraft was built, it was initially conceived in the mind of a man. This is a definite truth that you should understand and never forget. That before success can be realized, it must first come to you in the form of a dominating and persistent thought.

“I think, therefore I am.” ~ René Descartes.

The many successful men and women that have gone before you speak of this very truth when asked to describe their beginnings. It may have taken the time, effort, and a lot of heart to accomplish their goals. But the willingness to do so could only be forged from a persisting and dominating thought to succeed.

When you begin to think success, you begin to move towards it. In just the same way, thinking of failure will allow failure to materialize and become your reality.

Before becoming a game developer, I wasn’t. But I was surely determined to become one at all costs. At the time, I had no concrete idea what that meant.

As with all things people start, there were challenges and setbacks I could never have anticipated. One is the lack of a fundamental understanding of how games actually worked or even why they worked in the way they did. Trust me when I say, that this can be one of the most frustrating things to deal with, for any aspiring game developer.

Giving up felt like the most logical thing to do. “It’s just too hard to grasp” I would say. “The course I did in college taught nothing really related to game design and development”, I would convince myself. And just like that, my “logic” sealed my fate. That was the end of my journey to becoming a game developer.

Until I watched a movie that transformed my outlook on life forever. Indie Game: The Movie. A documentary about once unknown game developers and the struggles they went through before achieving great success. The very same struggles that I could easily relate to.

I saw people with a great desire to succeed at what they were passionate about… just like me! No! They had a much greater desire compared to the tiny flame that resided within me. So great that it dominated all the negativity around them. They were determined to succeed, no matter what anyone said or thought.

Watching them overcome obstacles initially amazed me. But the more I watched, the more I got inspired. They fought more mind battles than anything. To realize success, they had to convince themselves that they could attain it.

“I can do this too”, I almost immediately thought. “I don’t care what anyone says… I don’t care what it will take… I don’t care if I die broke, but I’m going to make a damn game before the end of the damn year.” I stopped at nothing to find any and all ways that would help me make my first game.

And I did. Nuggets Will Figure It Out was the first game I ever released to the public.

Now, just so you know, my thoughts, actions, and plans weren’t as structured as they are today. I definitely do not intend on dying broke. But it’s because of the dominating positive (and empowering) thoughts in my mind today, that I can even make actionable plans for a future I know I will get.

Almost one year after making the first game, I made Battle Buggy Grounds based on an idea I always had drowning in my mind. And now, I’m even developing mobile games. My journey is just beginning… I only wish it had begun sooner.

Anyway, that is my story. I share it with you in hopes of making you realize that all dreamers walk the same path and encounter similar challenges. Challenges mostly present themselves in the form of negative mindset shifts.

The reason why it’s hard to accomplish a dream is partly that you have never done so before. It’s all new to you. It’s most likely scary. I used to not know how to make a single game. And now I can make one in the next two days if I allowed myself to do so. Because I allowed myself to start believing that I could.

More than anything, a positive mindset shift is what gets the ball rolling. Success is your right. Your dreams are valid. But before your success can be realized, it must first come to you in the form of a dominating and persistent thought.