5 Thoughts from Fortnite World Cup

I was blessed (and cursed) enough to take my son to the first ever Fortnite World Cup. Many millionaires were created from the winnings at this event. 16,000 people cheered for competitors from more than 20 countries.

Here are 5 takeaways from the World Cup:

• 3 days for a 46 year old man eating two meals of hamburgers and hot dogs is deadly. Please Epic Games, some healthy food alternatives. 
• eSports is the only sport where the players have deep interaction with their fans on a regular basis. From their many hours of live streaming, with fans chatting through Twitch, the pros are already well known not just for their gameplay but also for their personality. When they arrive at public events, they look at the fans not just as someone who wants a signature but as part of their family. These guys (kids!) are humble, personable and warm to their fans.
• The facility was air conditioned! Huge and unexpected for the venue. It made viewing very comfortable.
• eSports is VERY MUCH enjoyable as a live experience. Yes, the announcers might have been difficult to hear at times, but the passionate fan audience more than made up for that.

Summer patterns

Every summer, Kate has a tendency to blow up. It usually peaks right around the time of the junior regattta.

I believe the escalation is due to being pulled in too many directions. Unfortunately it all ends up blowing up on me.

I wish Kate could see the pattern that has developed over the years and make changes to prevent it from happening again.

Perhaps the biggest difference in how we look at things

I am always looking forward, looking at process and trends. I am usually not as concerned about fixing today's problem as I am about ensuring that today's problem doesn't recur in the future.

You are always looking at the now. That can be positive because you can enjoy the moment more than I can. But also prevents planning and avoiding disasters.

Productivity and Marriage

I've found that when Katie is in a bad spell, or indicates that our marriage is broken and needs work, that I become paralyzed. I no longer can concentrate or be productive at work. I tend to play more video games. I may even drink more alcohol during these periods (though not much more...don't get worked up over that). I tend not to want to exercise as much. Everything you might expect for depression.

Now this isn't Katie's problem. It is mine. I need to let Katie's mood not effect me. I need to be able to change my own mindset regardless of what attacks might come my way.

Unfortunately, for decades I have tied my idea of success with:

1. Staying married
2. Staying financially responsible

Right now it seems like both of those are under threat. So this puts me in a deeper state of paralysis.

Priorities

We have enough money for a lot of things. But we don't have enough money for everything. We need to prioritize how we spend our money. Whims end up wasting money and don't give the satisfaction we hope and need.

The same thing goes with time. We can't keep dividing our time among more and more things. We need to prioritize the use of our time. My priorities at this season of my life might be:

1) Family
2) Work
3) Friends

Season for everything

I recently heard someone talk about his perspective of life as seasons. There is a season for everything, and certain things can be done in summer that can't be done in winter.

Right now, with kids in high school and middle school. I am in the season of ensuring our kids grow up to be well adjusted, self sufficient participants in society.

That means that I may not be able to fully engage/nurture:

• My friends
• My wife
• My self

Don't get me wrong, I won't ignore any of these. But right now the stresses of maintaining a strong family dynamic and continued development of the kids means that I won't be at my best for these other areas of my life.

This is a sacrifice, but one that I know is both temporary and was was not a surprise. 

Positiving vs. Responsibility

I have a very hard time finding balance between maintaining a positive outlook (particularly related to finances) and being responsible with my decision making.

I very much believe in risk management. I also believe in the importance of forecasting and managing against forecasts.

I can understand that there can be a perception that making decisions and planning based on what is forecasted to be a weak environment can be perceived as "not being positive." But what happens if you don't properly plan and manage, and that weak forecast becomes a reality? In that scenario, you have dug a much deeper hole for yourself by not taking early action. If you had reduce your lifestyle by 10% for a one year period by taking early action, you would need to reduce your lifestyle by 20% if you wait six months before making changes based on reality. The difference between adjusting 10% and 20% can be significant and truly painful, as many costs are "fixed" and cannot be adjusted.

But let's assume that you manage based on a weak forecast, but the reality becomes stronger than expected. In that case, while you may have reduced your lifestyle in the short term some percentage, you are able to immediately increase your lifestyle back to at the very minimum previous levels.

Behavioral Change

Behavioral change takes time. It is not something that can happen overnight, or within a week, or a month. A year is a more likely scenario.

When you are trying to affect change, it is important to recognize that missteps will be made. That doesn't mean that the attempt to change failed, it just means that it isn't complete yet.

So if I am trying to have a more positive outlook on life, please don't believe that having one bad day means that I haven't made any progress.