Tag: challenges

Lies of P and Expecting Difficulties (2-21-24)

This week we will kick off a series inspired by a video game I recently played call Lies of P.  Our first entry is about expecting difficulties.

Lies of P (click for the trailer) is a darker reimagining of Pinocchio.  You play as Pinocchio in a world where robots, called puppets, have gained sentience, and turned against humans.  On top of all of this, there is some mysterious plague going around and other foul forces at play.  Anway, I was playing the game and was dying A LOT.  Alice, my daughter, noticed this and said, “You’re failing a lot.  Why aren’t you getting upset at the game?”  I thanked her for pointing out that I was failing so much 😉, and then I explained, “I’m not upset, because this game is exactly what I thought it would be.  From the trailers and what I heard about the game I knew it would be a cool/creepy story, interesting game mechanics, and HARD bosses.  I went into it assuming that I would fail a lot and that I would have to get good in order to make it.  Now if a Mario game was this hard, I’d be super upset, because Mario games don’t position themselves to be soul crushing games.  However, this game from the beginning has made it clear that it is about being tough and challenging players.  I also went into the game knowing I’d feel awesome once I made it through the game’s challenges.  ”

What does this have to do with anything?  I wasn’t frustrated with the game, because I EXPECTED it to be difficult.  I EXPECTED to run into challenges that I wouldn’t get past on the first, second, or even tenth try.  Since I expected these things, I wasn’t upset when they happened.  I understood that the failed attempts were just the price you have to pay before you can do great stuff. 

Now think about a time when you were frustrated at work.  Were you frustrated because it was difficult OR were you frustrated because you didn’t expect it to be difficult?  There’s a big difference.  I’ve found when I get the most frustrated at work, it’s usually because I didn’t expect that situation to be difficult.  It’s because I’ve assumed that things would be smooth sailing.  As I’ve matured over my career, I’ve learned to expect bumps.  I’ve learned to expect things to go sideways.  I’ve come to appreciate that the job isn’t doing all the things in the job description, but dealing with all of the unexpected stuff that pops up as you try to do the things listed in the job description.  I’ve learned to expect things to be challenging, so I’m not thrown off when they are.  I’ve learned that going through the bumps and obstacles is the price you pay to do great things, and how amazing it feels to achieve something after struggling through obstacles.

The challenge: How will you readjust your expectations to expect difficulties?

Side note: If you are into Soulslike games and haven’t tried Lies of P yet, I’d definitely recommend it.  It is one of my favorite games in that genre that I’ve played and I’m pumped to say that I actually beat it!

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Why are our Challenges Challenging? (11-30-22)

I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving.  We are winding down for the year, so the next few entries will be things to think about as you wrap up.  This week is about reflecting on why our challenges were challenging this year.

As you might know, obstacle course racing is my new hobby.  Let me be clear.  I’m not good at these races.  I fail a lot of obstacles and I’m slow.  With that said, usually I can get up and over the 6-foot wall obstacle with little difficulty.  I have the strength and skill to do that one (other obstacles, not so much 😉)  Recently, I completed a race in Arizona.  When I got to the 6-foot wall I struggled a few times before I got over it.  I started thinking about why I had an issue with something that I can normally do on the first try.  I realized a few things.  Usually, the 6-foot wall is one of the first obstacles and happens early in the race around mile 1.  Also, I was used to races in the Midwest where I was running on dirt and grass.  This particular 6-foot wall came around mile 3, after I had completed other obstacles and spent a fair amount of time running on loose sand.  Clearing the 6-foot wall on its own is challenging, but doable.  Clearing the 6-foot wall after getting through a series of challenges BEFORE I ever got there, made it more difficult because my legs and body were more tired than usual.

What does this have to do with anything?  As we finish the year, we likely will have some kind of end of year discussion.  During this time, you’ll likely be asked to talk about your successes as well as the areas where you struggled and could improve.  When you think about those areas where you could have improved, spend time thinking about why it was difficult.  Was it difficult because you didn’t have the knowledge or skillset to do it?  Or was it something you normally could have done, but it became a challenge since it came after so many other obstacles that popped up in your path?  As I reflect, there were some things I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, because they were new to me.  There were other situations where I had the skills and talent to handle them well, but since they came at the end of a slew of barriers, I didn’t handle them as well as I could have.  As you can see, these are two different root causes for why you could struggle with something, and each root cause has its own set of solutions.  I know I’m continuing to reflect on what I can do to improve in each instance.

The challenge: Why did you find certain things challenging this year?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry