Superheroes play big. Steve CambSuperheroes play for big

Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life Steve Camb

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Title: Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life

About the book “Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life" Steve Camb

Don't sleep through life! Make vivid impressions part of everyday reality. Google and Facebook invite Steve Camb to give lectures, and thousands of people have already joined the rebellion against the gray routine.

If you have always dreamed of adventure, but did not dare, like a hobbit, to leave your usual “hole,” this book is for you. She'll explain how to use strategies from your favorite video games, movies, and books to completely transform your life. Stop running away from her into fictional worlds, read “Superheroes Play for Big” and you will learn how:

— make a list of epic goals and begin to achieve them step by step;

- to win over strong allies and get a cool mentor;

- start without much financial costs Travel around the world;

- achieve excellent results at work;

- acquire useful habits that will bring you closer to success day after day;

— pump up your body, making it hardy enough for real adventures.

On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online book“Superheroes play for high stakes. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life" by Steve Camb in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. Buy full version you can from our partner. Also, here you will find last news from literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers there is a separate section with useful tips and recommendations, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.

Introduction. Everyday world

Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2 am.

One more…

I was sitting at the blackjack table in the most famous casino in the world. My heart was beating wildly. I tried my best to remain calm and cool, despite the stress: as much money as I had spent the previous week was at stake. I ordered another cocktail (shaken, not stirred), adjusted my bow tie, and told a “spicy” joke to my new Irish friends sitting next to me. The next few tense minutes showed how the players behave: the dealer leisurely turned over the cards, took another one and... bust! There was applause. I calmly collected my chips, internally dancing a jig and going crazy with joy.

After my new friends and I celebrated the victory, late at night, I returned to the hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. This, by the way, is said literally: the Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel really stands on stilts right above the water. Woke up the next morning, ate breakfast, watched billion-dollar yachts enter Monaco harbor - and proudly crossed out the important item from my "Epic Brilliance Quest": "Live one weekend like James Bond."

The people who saw me that evening in the casino would hardly have believed it if they knew who I really was and how my life had changed over the previous year. Surely it never occurred to anyone that I rented a tuxedo from a tailor in a neighboring town, but hotel room was paid for with hotel bonuses and cost me nothing. They were also not destined to learn that, despite this weekend of spending, I am a very thrifty guy and, thanks to luck at the gambling tables, I managed to earn good money! Yes, it is difficult to imagine a charming, witty gentleman in a tuxedo, brilliantly playing in the Monte Carlo casino, in a cheap hostel in Nice, where he will return tomorrow to continue the routine life of a shy “nerd”.

Yes, mine double life would surprise anyone, especially considering where I started. Like any young person growing up in the 1980s, I spent most of my time reading my favorite books, video games, and movies. And he did this for one, but compelling reason: out of a desire to escape. From the next school day devoid of difficulties, interest and development. From boring hours at a boring job, where I languished in a position that did not correspond to strengths my personality. In a word, to escape as far as possible from a life that was not even close to the stories of the heroic characters of your favorite games.

Why waste time in a boring world where you had to deal with things that made you despondent, where there was no health, no happiness, no inspiration, no real reason to worry? Why bother with “real life” when you can sit down at a computer or game console and easily realize your fantasies - like an almighty badass who can rule the whole world? In reality, I was a skinny 23-year-old boy with no money and life goal, with developing sociopathy. But in the game world, I was able to defeat that damn dragon! And very soon real life turned into boring, painful episodes - between bright hours of on-screen adventures.

After all, it's great to immerse yourself in a book or movie, to dive into the world of a video game where you become the hero. I imagined myself as Indiana Jones, Jason Bourne, Neo from The Matrix, and even Link from classic game Nintendo - The Legend of Zelda. And there's nothing wrong with that. I still love these games and movies, they are part of my personality. The problem, however, was that they became a common way to escape from real life.

But one day something changed. Instead of immersing myself in games and using them as an escape from reality, I pulled some levers into action and began to do amazing things that I had previously only dared to dream about. Yes, yes, I turned my life into a giant video game - and in reality I realized the fantasies of my adored characters.

By the age of 25, I had never traveled outside North America. But then he managed to visit more than 20 countries, walked along the Great Wall of China, tracked wild animals in South Africa, explored the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia - and entered into his best physical fitness. I volunteer whenever I can, play music every day (and even learned to play the violin while writing this book!). And I'm happy!

But this is only a small part of what I managed to do. Early one morning, my friend and I climbed to an observation deck overlooking the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. And this pushed me to implement another grandiose plan: to go on a two-year trip around the world.

I woke up one morning on a bus in New Zealand and heard the driver say something about a “stunt plane.” And less than 24 hours later, I was doing rolls and spins in a stunt airplane (with the help of a co-pilot), fulfilling my childhood fantasy of “maintaining foreign connections” - just like Maverick in the movie “Top Gun.”

A few days after flying on one airplane, I parachuted from another. What happened two more days later? I jumped from the Kawaru Bridge - the birthplace of bungee jumping - and plunged waist-deep into an icy river before lifting out of the water like a rocket into outer space.

And in the evening I went scuba diving and swam with sharks near the Bolshoi barrier reef. We sat in the boat, preparing to dive: a slanting downpour was lashing, killer music was blasting from the speakers, and sharks were circling below us. It felt like I was living through a scene from a Tom Clancy novel. Having completed this adventure, I spent the next day exploring the brightly colored coral reef, on which lived a large pink anemone and wonderful little clown fish swam. Yes, that's right: I found Nemo. Mission complete!

I am telling you all this not as a person who was destined to live life full of adventure; I am by no means going to brag about how wonderfully my destiny has changed. Vice versa! I speak from the perspective of a risk-averse, moody, picky eater introvert who was more comfortable at home in front of a computer than in public - and eventually became an intrepid world traveler. How did I do this? I changed the source code and rewrote programs created for me by others, and at the same time by myself in moments of despair. I took it step by step to move away from the life that was before - and get closer to the one I secretly dreamed of. Essentially, I redesigned life around my own Epic Quest of Splendor. I excluded everything that was unimportant and unnecessary - in order to be fully embodied in the game that I had imagined for myself. At the same time I was driving ordinary life writer, nerd and gamer.

And you know what's the coolest thing? I can teach this to anyone!

Actually I already taught thousands of people: the very minute we talk, they embark on adventures. We rebels call ourselves "The Resistance" - inspired by the Rebel Alliance from folklore " Star Wars" And I want you to join us. Consider this book a strategic guide for your game of life—and a primer for membership in the Resistance. Not only will I draw you a diagram that you can follow to start living like the characters in your favorite video games, books and movies. I will share with you dozens of stories from members of our motley community of rebels - seemingly unheroic heroes, "weaklings" and sudden adventurers. I will tell you:

How a seventh grade teacher visited five continents in 4 years without borrowing a single dollar.

How a single father took his love of anime and gamified martial arts to connect with his son and train with him.

How one Rebel living below the poverty line put his life back together with the goal of taking part in an adventure race on the other side of the country.

How a 55-year-old divorced retired firefighter took control of her life and created a smartphone app company.

How a Filipina College Student Used a Secret Powerup to Find better job on campus, overcome fear of public speaking and join an amateur dance group.

How a Clinical Hematology Specialist Rebuilt His Life Through Nature Exploration and Volunteer Work hotline"suicide prevention, and even got a serious role in a musical.

However, if you're reading this list and wondering how the hell you can make such dramatic changes in your life, you're not alone. We've all been through this. We got caught up in a routine instead of enjoying every moment. We counted the days until the weekend, barely made it to next year- and waited for some mythical day when “everything will settle down” and we will finally begin to live the way we want. Mindlessly drifting through own life, we are simply looking for ways to escape from reality - unsatisfactory and difficult.

We are the equivalent of Bilbo Baggins, the hero of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, living a quiet existence in his hobbit hole, avoiding anything that might be dangerous or adventurous. We know that we are mired in everyday life, we dream of something more, but we just can’t determine what it is. The year goes by year after year, nothing changes - and one day we look back and ask ourselves: “What the hell is wrong with me?!” If everything that has been said resonates in your soul and it seems that life is passing you by, then this book is for you.

Don't worry, I'll show you how to live a life you can be proud of, and have adventures that will inspire your friends. I will teach you to do what you once dreamed of. Whether it's about traveling, choosing a new instrument, starting a website, or learning how to dance, Resistance will welcome you.

Now, when you join the Resistance, know that there is a list of rules that we have decided to adhere to. Our first rule: we don't care where you come from, all that matters is where you're going. Whether you're an 18-year-old high school senior trying to figure out what the fuck to do with your life, or a 55-year-old divorcee yearning for some excitement, I'll be happy to help you.

The second rule: if you join the “Resistance,” you join for life. We have a lot of work to do, but I promise it will be a lot of fun. The only thing I ask of you is to trust me, and when I ask you to take a leap of faith, do it. Our focus will be on continuous improvement, finding a way to become a little better, a little closer to the goal. And this path begins here and now. As Morpheus says to Neo in The Matrix:

This is your last chance. Then there will be no return. You take the blue pill - the story ends, and you wake up in your bed and continue to believe what you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Well, shall we take the red pill?

Part I: The Call of Adventure

Chapter 1. Leaving the Shire

Once upon a time there lived a hobbit in a hole underground. Not in some disgusting dirty damp hole, where worm tails stick out on all sides and there is a nasty smell of mold, but also not in a dry, sandy, bare hole, where there is nothing to sit on and nothing to eat. No, the hole was a hobbit’s, which means it was well-equipped.

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

If you're wondering how I went from a timid "nerd" to an intrepid adventurer like Indiana Jones, listen up. It all started in 2007 with a panic attack.

He hit me on the plane on my way home to San Diego. But not because I was afraid to fly. The problem was that I dreamed of traveling to distant lands, doing amazing things and living rich life, full of adventures - but reality was strikingly different from dreams. Having spent a boring day at a boring job, in the evening I hurried to the computer screen, killing hour after hour in video games - to escape from an existence that was boring and aimless. I ate the same food, did the same monotonous things - and put off adventure and self-development until better times, when my life becomes “not so busy.” It felt like I was having a “midlife crisis” at 23 years old. As Ben Franklin said, “Some die at 25 and are not buried until they are 75.” It seemed like he was talking about me.

I wanted more from life, but had no idea how to achieve it. I kept escaping into video games, books, and movies to “reincarnate” myself into characters whose lives seemed more exciting than my own. Every evening I disconnected from reality in front of the monitor, and on weekends I got drunk - just to forget the previous week. I dreaded Sunday evenings because I knew that the next morning I would have to return to a reality I despised. I thought back to my youth and tried to understand where and what went wrong.

After all, I had a completely normal childhood (if you can call childhood in a town called Sandwich “normal”). I’ll answer your first two questions right away: yes, our police cars had the words “Sandwich Police” on them; and no, our school mascot was not a sandwich. As a child, I had an overly vivid imagination, and I shared equally free time between games like The Legend of Zelda and adventures in our garden where I played Link, dressed in the tunic of the game's hero. It honestly seemed to me that I was growing up at the same time as Link - and turning into a superhero.

And then there were my four years in high school Sandwich. By the second year I was 155 cm tall, had braces for the third year in a row and somehow managed to get acne - a faithful companion of puberty, but without the rapid growth that accompanies it. Finally, my father's genes turned on, and I grew to 181 cm. The braces were removed, the skin cleared up. I even tried my luck on the school basketball team, since my brother was its captain - and he was proud of his efforts. However, all the efforts in this area could not hide the fact that I was not very good player, and I was kicked out of the team. Thus, the only sports I played in high school were those typically recommended for geriatric patients: golf and tennis. Then I managed to fall in love and spent all my free time indulging in my hopeless addiction. What was her name?

"Everquest".

For the uninitiated, EverQuest is an extremely popular World of Warcraft-type massively multiplayer online role-playing game; a world of wizards, warriors and dragons was created there. I didn't have a driver's license or a girlfriend, so all the weekends and summer nights were devoted to other studies: I studied the game world of Norrath as the character Morphos Novastorm, a polymath wizard. There was no longer any need to use your imagination to fill in the gaps, because Norrath had it all: tall mountains, deep dark seas, full of secrets, uninhabited islands, haunted houses, caves, castles and everything else.

Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life - Steve Camb (download)

(introductory fragment of the book)

Steve Camb

Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life

Steve Kamb: LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story

Dedication

To my parents, brother and sister who have been my biggest fans since day one. Thank you for advising me to go for it every time some absurd idea came into my head. Mom, I promise that I will continue to tell you about all sorts of crazy things only after I commit them!

To the grandma who bought a computer so she could read my newsletters, thank you for putting up with my foul language, bah! To my other grandparents who, after living long, inspiring lives, passed away while I was away having adventures. I miss you so much!

To all the "Resistance"! Thank you to the Nerd Fitness community—full of seemingly unheroic heroes and oddballs—for putting my words into action and living a life of daily adventure.

To all the madmen, nonconformists, rebels, troublemakers, round pegs in square holes - in short, to everyone who sees the world differently.

Introduction. Everyday world

- Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2 am.

- One more…

After my new friends and I celebrated the victory, late at night, I returned to the hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. This, by the way, is said literally: the Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel really stands on stilts right above the water. Woke up the next morning, ate breakfast, watched billion-dollar yachts sail into Monaco harbor—and proudly crossed out the important item from my “Epic Brilliance Quest”: “Live one weekend like James Bond.”

The people who saw me that evening in the casino would hardly have believed it if they knew who I really was and how my life had changed over the previous year. Surely it never occurred to anyone that I rented a tuxedo from a tailor in a neighboring town, and the hotel room was paid for with hotel bonuses and did not cost me anything. They were also not destined to learn that, despite this weekend of spending, I am a very thrifty guy and, thanks to luck at the gambling tables, I managed to make good money! Yes, it is difficult to imagine a charming, witty gentleman in a tuxedo, brilliantly playing in the Monte Carlo casino, in a cheap hostel in Nice, where he will return tomorrow to continue the routine life of a shy “nerd”.

Yes, my double life would surprise anyone, especially considering where I started. Like any young person growing up in the 1980s, I spent most of my time reading my favorite books, video games, and movies. And he did this for one, but compelling reason: out of a desire to escape. From another school day devoid of difficulties, interest and development. From boring hours at a boring job, where I languished in a position that did not correspond to the strengths of my personality. In a word, to escape as far as possible from a life that was not even close to the stories of the heroic characters of your favorite games.

Why waste time in a boring world where you had to deal with things that made you despondent, where there was no health, no happiness, no inspiration, no real reason to worry? Why bother with “real life” when you can sit down at a computer or game console and easily realize your fantasies - like an almighty badass who can rule the whole world? In reality, I was a skinny 23-year-old with no money or purpose in life, with developing sociopathy. But in the game world, I was able to defeat that damn dragon! And very soon real life turned into boring, painful episodes - between the bright hours of screen adventures.

Steve Camb

Superheroes play for big. Rebel against the gray reality and become the hero of your life

Steve Kamb: LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story

Dedication

To all the "Resistance"! Thank you to the Nerd Fitness community—full of seemingly unheroic heroes and oddballs—for putting my words into action and living a life of daily adventure.

To all the madmen, nonconformists, rebels, troublemakers, round pegs in square holes - in short, to everyone who sees the world differently.

Introduction. Everyday world

- Bond. James Bond.

Sean Connery, Dr. No

Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2 am.

- One more…

After my new friends and I celebrated the victory, late at night, I returned to the hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. This, by the way, is said literally: the Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel really stands on stilts right above the water. Woke up the next morning, ate breakfast, watched billion-dollar yachts sail into Monaco harbor—and proudly crossed out the important item from my “Epic Brilliance Quest”: “Live one weekend like James Bond.”

The people who saw me that evening in the casino would hardly have believed it if they knew who I really was and how my life had changed over the previous year. Surely it never occurred to anyone that I rented a tuxedo from a tailor in a neighboring town, and the hotel room was paid for with hotel bonuses and did not cost me anything. They were also not destined to learn that, despite this weekend of spending, I am a very thrifty guy and, thanks to luck at the gambling tables, I managed to make good money! Yes, it is difficult to imagine a charming, witty gentleman in a tuxedo, brilliantly playing in the Monte Carlo casino, in a cheap hostel in Nice, where he will return tomorrow to continue the routine life of a shy “nerd”.

Why waste time in a boring world where you had to deal with things that made you despondent, where there was no health, no happiness, no inspiration, no real reason to worry? Why bother with “real life” when you can sit down at a computer or game console and easily realize your fantasies - like an almighty badass who can rule the whole world? In reality, I was a skinny 23-year-old with no money or purpose in life, with developing sociopathy. But in the game world, I was able to defeat that damn dragon! And very soon real life turned into boring, painful episodes - between the bright hours of screen adventures.

After all, it’s great to immerse yourself in a book or movie, to dive into the world of a video game where you become the hero. I imagined myself as Indiana Jones, Jason Bourne, Neo from The Matrix, and even Link from the Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda. And there's nothing wrong with that. I still love these games and movies, they are part of my personality. The problem, however, was that they became a common way to escape from real life.

By the age of 25, I had never traveled outside of North America. But then he managed to visit more than 20 countries, walked along the Great Wall of China, tracked wild animals in South Africa, explored the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia - and got into his best physical shape. I volunteer whenever I can, play music every day (and even learned to play the violin while writing this book!). And I'm happy!

And in the evening I went scuba diving and swam with sharks at the Great Barrier Reef. We sat in the boat, preparing to dive: a slanting downpour was lashing, killer music was blasting from the speakers, and sharks were circling below us. It felt like I was living through a scene from a Tom Clancy novel. Having completed this adventure, I spent the next day exploring the vibrant, colorful coral reef, which was home to a large pink anemone and wonderful little clownfish swimming around. Yes, that's right: I found Nemo. Mission complete!

I am telling you all this not as a person who was destined to live a life full of adventures; I am by no means going to brag about how wonderfully my destiny has changed. Vice versa! I speak from the perspective of a risk-averse, moody, picky eater introvert who was more comfortable at home in front of a computer than in public—and eventually became an intrepid world traveler. How did I do this? I changed the source code and rewrote programs created for me by others, and at the same time by myself in moments of despair. I took it step by step to move away from the life that was before - and get closer to the one I secretly dreamed of. Essentially, I redesigned life around my own Epic Quest of Splendor. I excluded everything unimportant and unnecessary - in order to be fully embodied in the game that I had imagined for myself. At the same time, I led the ordinary life of a writer, a “nerd” and a gamer.

And you know what's the coolest thing? I can teach this to anyone!

Actually I already taught thousands of people: the very minute we talk, they embark on adventures. We Rebels call ourselves "The Resistance" - inspired by the Rebel Alliance from Star Wars folklore. And I want you to join us. Consider this book a strategic guide for your game of life—and a primer for membership in the Resistance. Not only will I draw you a diagram that you can follow to start living like the characters in your favorite video games, books and movies. I will share with you dozens of stories from members of our motley community of rebels - seemingly unheroic heroes, "weaklings" and sudden adventurers. I will tell you.