2025-12-08 18:30
You know, I was thinking about this the other day while I was, of all things, diving back into Borderlands 3. There's this fantastic piece of writing I read about the Vault Hunters that stuck with me. It pointed out that you can't really know how they all stack up until you've poured, say, a good 50 or 60 hours into each one, but for the first time, none of them feel like a "bad" choice for a new player. Every single character is fun because they all feel powerful. They can stand on their own two feet in a firefight, or they can bring something incredible to a team. And the real kicker? Learning and mastering their unique abilities is genuinely rewarding. It got me thinking about how we approach our own lives, our own quest for what the title of this piece promises: to unlock your happy fortune. We often treat joy and abundance like they're locked behind a specific character build—if we just pick the right job, the right partner, the right morning routine, then we'll be powerful. But what if, like those Vault Hunters, there are multiple viable paths, and the reward is in the learning and mastering of our own unique skills? The fortune isn't a loot chest at the end; it's cultivated in the gameplay itself. So, let's talk about seven practical steps to do just that, drawn from that same philosophy of empowered, rewarding action.
First, you have to audit your current "skill tree." I don't mean your resume. I mean, sit down with a coffee for twenty minutes and honestly ask: what activities make me lose track of time? When do I feel that sense of flow? For me, it's writing and getting lost in a good game's mechanics. For you, it might be fixing things, organizing a space, or talking to people. Write down five. This is your base character. You can't build on a mystery. Next, and this is crucial, invest one dedicated hour, three times a week, into leveling up one of those skills. Not for money, not for social media, but for the sheer mastery of it. If it's cooking, try a new, slightly complex recipe every week. The goal is the 1% improvement, the tiny upgrade that makes you feel more powerful in that domain. This is where the "lasting" part of joy starts. It's the difference between casually picking up a gun and learning the specific reload animation cancel for your character to boost your DPS by 15%. That specific, granular improvement is deeply satisfying.
Now, let's talk about your party. The reference made a great point about meaningful contributions to a team. Abundance rarely exists in a vacuum. Identify three to five people in your life—friends, family, colleagues—whose own "quests" you genuinely support. Then, once a week, make a meaningful contribution to one of them. Send an article you know they'd love with a personal note. Offer a specific piece of help on a project. Listen without immediately offering a solution. This isn't networking; it's practicing the co-op mode of life. I've found that the joy that comes from seeing a teammate thrive because of a small boost you provided is a different, richer currency than solo achievements. It builds a network of mutual abundance that pays dividends during your own inevitable boss fights—those stressful life events that are much harder to solo.
Here’s a step that’s often glossed over: schedule your joy. We schedule everything else, right? We treat fun and relaxation as leftovers, the scraps of time after the "important" work is done. That's a surefire way to feel perpetually resource-drained. Block out two 90-minute sessions in your week, and label them "Non-Negotiable Joy." Guard them like you would a meeting with your CEO. In one of mine, I play guitar terribly but loudly. In the other, I might go for a long walk with no podcast, just my thoughts. This scheduled practice trains your brain to expect and receive pleasure, rewiring it from a scarcity mindset to one where good things are a regular, expected part of the program. It’s the consistent grinding that leads to a high level, not the occasional marathon session.
Financial abundance is part of this, so let's get practical. I want you to run a simple experiment for one month: track every single dollar or pound or euro you spend, but categorize it not as "groceries" or "entertainment," but as "Maintenance," "Growth," or "Joy." Maintenance keeps the lights on. Growth is an investment in future you (a course, a book, a tool). Joy is spending that purely lights you up in the moment. Most people are shocked to find their "Joy" spending is below 10%. The goal isn't to judge, but to consciously reallocate. Aim to shift just 5% of your "Maintenance" or mindless spending into "Joy" or "Growth." That might be $40. That $40, spent on a nice meal with a friend or a new plant for your desk, is a tangible investment in your happy fortune. It signals to your psyche that you are worth investing in.
The sixth step is about narrative. We are the stories we tell ourselves. Every evening, I try to jot down one "win," no matter how small. "Finally fixed that squeaky door." "Had a good laugh with Sarah." "Nailed the presentation." This isn't just gratitude journaling, though that's part of it. This is actively curating the evidence of your own capability and fortune. You are building the lore of your own character. On days when the game feels frustratingly hard, you can scroll back and see, in your own handwriting, proof that you are powerful and that good things do happen. It's your personal codex of achievements.
Finally, embrace the respec. In games, you can often re-spec your skill points. Your life path isn't set in stone. Maybe the skill you were investing in no longer brings joy. That's okay. The process of learning what doesn't work is just as valuable as finding what does. It provides data. Take a quarterly afternoon—a literal three-hour block—to review. Are your scheduled joy sessions actually joyful? Is your team contributing back, or is it a one-way street? Be ruthless and kind with yourself, and don't be afraid to reallocate your energy. The goal isn't a perfect, static build, but a dynamic, engaged, and powerful presence in your own life.
So, circling back to where we started, with those perfectly balanced Vault Hunters. The path to unlock your happy fortune isn't about finding the one "correct" build. It's the practice of engaging deeply with your own abilities, making meaningful contributions to your party, and finding the reward in the constant, curious process of mastery. Joy and abundance aren't loot drops you wait for; they are the natural results of showing up for your own game, skill point by skill point, day by day. You have a powerful character to play. Now go out there and level it up.