I'm feeling awfully reflective today, so this post will largely be an explanation of how I view my life.

First, I have 4 words that are the bedrock for everything in my life. They have served me well:

Hustle, discipline, teamwork, respect.

Each one is just as important as the other. Without these 4 principles you will not be able to do much. I constantly strive to get better in all aspects of my life with these 4 principles. It doesn't matter if it is as a husband, father, employee, or anything else. 

Hustle

We have to work hard to make things work. Most people might mistake this for working harder and longer. I don't see it that way. 

I see hustle as working hard in the time that we have for the tasks at hand. Everyone needs a break, and everyone needs to be able to enjoy life. Hell, I have a t-shirt that says, "Breaks, even the darkside takes them." 

When people are looking for that extra mile, that's the hustle. Ironically, I don't think this is something that someone else can ask of you. It's something that comes from the center of your being. When you have that level of drive, hustle comes natually. It feels more like internal drive to me. A way that I push myself to grow, improve, and learn. I see a challenge, and I attack it. That's what motivates me. It's what makes me hustle.

Discipline

This is a bit of tricky one to nail down. This is the ability to see things through. It also means sticking to your guns when things get rough. Maybe you develop your own standards and rules for yourself, and/or maybe you have your own processes. How well do you stick to them? As with everything I say here, there are exceptions. Sometimes rules and processes need to change when something else makes more since or is better.

There are those moments when you can either do what you know has to be done, or you can do something else instead (often meaning doing something "lazy"). That discipline to do what you should do. In a way, it can become a bit more of you get a little addicted to that reward of that little bit extra discipline to do what must be done. It's very rewarding. Of course, there are those times where you just need to be lazy. You hit a creative wall, or you are so stressed out that you need a release. Take that "laziness", and use it to enjoy life and rejuvinate!

Teamwork

Many people that aren't in development may not fully understand what a team activity development is. Peer review is a normal process of development. I know that Adam and I occasionally have design discussions when necessary. We have discussed state management and came up with basic designs. At work, we help each other with diffferent issues while coding. There is also a huge community of online help at places like Stack Overflow. You can view questions and answers others have on forums, and you can also post your answers.

You have to be able to give and take. You have to be able to be part of community. You will NEVER survive for the long haul if you don't. It's also that same community that will help push you when you need that little shove to go on. It's those moments where everything is dark and they will provide that little ray of light to get you back on your feet again.

Repsect

This is kind of one of those things along the lines of the "golden rule" (treat others how you want to be treated). It extends beyond people though. You have to treat all facets of your life with respect. You have the people in your life, but also the things that you do. I always thought of it with hockey. I treated my teammates, coaching staff, opponents, the rink, and the game with respect. In all, I felt like things ended up working out well for me. I'm no longer involved, but I had the opportunity to grow and learn skills that translated into other areas of my life. Actually, that's where I got these 4 principles from, hockey.

Wrap Up

So those are what I live my life by. It helps in my home life, work life, and all other aspects of my life. They have served me well, and I felt it a good thing to share with my community. I apologize for the lack of game related content, but I'v had a pretty busy month. I will be starting a new job as a developer in a little over a week. Just something that has caused me look back on my life to all of the moments that have led up to where I am now. Maybe what I have here might make a difference for someone else, maybe it won't matter at all. Either way, these are my beliefs, and I try to have the discipline to stick to them.

It also brings a few different quotes to mind:

"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need." --The Rolling Stones

"For even the very wise cannot see all ends." -- Gandalf - Lord of the Rings

Life sure as hell throws some curveballs, but it's those moments that define us, shape us, make us who we are. So stick to you guns, keep moving forward, and have some faith in yourself. We can always make our lives better, but only by looking forward and not dwelling on the past.

I swear... the next post will be game dev related. Ramblings over...