Big Pharma: Lesson 3

   It finally happened.

   A challenge I couldn't beat at master level on the first try. Sickle cell treatments got me good.

   Yet, there was a lesson in that beat-down, too. I learned more about myself, and even made some life decisions because of it.

   Still playing Big Pharma, still learning things about myself and life in general. Check out the first and second posts on Big Pharma if you haven't already. (The first one has a link to the game's sale page.)

   Thicker than water is right, man. I thought I had it all figured out, this would be another easy-peezy level like the others. It didn't have money as the goal, so I was in the clear. So wrong.

My Big Pharma Blunder

   I got complacent. Since the goal was a level 4 drug, it made sense to focus on research and money to prepare for production on that scale. Level four stuff usually takes a bunch of processing and space, so I figured expanding to all the facilities would be easier when the time came if I had a fat wad of cash to do it all at once.

   The problem with that logic? I spent too much time researching things to make money.

   By the time I figured that out, I had about 8 months left to reach the goal. That's when I ran into the second mistake: Treatments is not the same as quantity sold. Aw, crap.

Wait, you mean I actually have to treat people? Like, CURE THEM??!!

Money-Minded Mistake

   It's just like in the real world: too much focus on money got in the way of productivity.  Whether things are going well or falling apart financially, when my attention gets sucked into dollar signs things start sliding everywhere else. Maybe it's just me? I'd like to think I'm not all that unique, though. It seems like a lot of people would have a similar experience with money and, well, pretty much the rest of life in general.

   Lately, I've been thinking about money in the real world quite a bit. As a result, a lot of my pursuits have suffered. My routines have degraded to random chaos, the work I've been able to get done has been like pulling teeth, and let's not even talk about my sleep, diet or exercise. It's been a right mess.

   I started this new blog direction because things were spinning out of control. I figured it was an entertaining use of my time to keep me grounded somewhere, anywhere. Now I see the problem.

   I also see why I've been drawn to this game so much the past week.

What Does It All Mean, Basil?

   Clearly it's time to work on where I'm spending my attention. Without going into the boring details of my daily life, it's safe to say I'll be making some changes. Less doing things that revolve around money, more activities that either enrich my life's experiences or work toward a more specific goal. After all, lesson 1 was all about money not being a specific enough goal in of itself.

   That's not to say money won't happen along the way; in Big Pharma, you're either making money or losing it. Unless you literally do nothing from the beginning, it's virtually impossible to break even. Also, breaking even still means making money and spending it, so there's that. Time doesn't just pause in the real world for me to figure out my next move before the checks and balances come in.

   However, putting more focus on things that will pay off in more than just dollar signs seems like a good way to go from here.

   What's your opinion? Comment below, or (as always) on Facebook. Have you had a similar revelation in your own life to share? Or is it really just me?

~See ya next time, Internet Drifters!