Hollow Knight is a game that I’ve played more times since I found it three years ago than I’ve played most games in my library. It’s a wonderful title that genuinely ramps up the challenge factor and encourages you to challenge yourself. In my first playthrough, there was a section of the game called the Path of Pain: it was a massively difficult platforming puzzle designed to punish you for even the slightest mistakes. It took me a week of play just to get through the path, and I was beaten by the enemies at the very end. I was so close, but swore I would never try again. Fast forward six months, and I managed to finish the entire Path of Pain in a single evening, including beating the enemies. I never want to do it again. I probably will.

It’s one of those games that makes rising to the challenge fun, and I haven’t had time for games like that in a long while. I think it’s a sign of healing. I set so many video games aside to play when I “had the time” to focus, but since my normal habit is being all-consumed by a game, it requires a full time commitment.

As a single man with very few social interests, gaming is usually an easy choice. However, wanting to break free and start accomplishing goals like writing my first novel, creating internet videos, building robots, and genuinely traveling the world have pushed me to start prioritizing my time. I’m still easily tired, and I spend much of my evenings resting on my sofa with my puppy Lexi. Working towards a goal can be exhausting, especially when you have a full-time day job and a full-time job keeping your house cleaned and your body fed/healthy.

I think I’m getting the balance down, and now all that needs to happen is improving my commitment by designating time to turn off the TV and work online. I’ve caught myself avoiding writing the book, but I haven’t been lacking in writing blog posts. It’s a good step forward, and I’ve caught myself working through important plot points more often during the day. Baby steps, I know. Even now, I know I have to pace myself if I want to make it work. Human beings are persistence predators, after all; just got to take the time to approach it at a meaningful pace. I’ve got this, I know.