If life is a game, then how do we level up? I seek to answer this question and propose different levels available to us in all aspects of life. I'm going to call this Levels of Development. Just some guidelines and goals to work towards, and thinking about what's possible. What level are you at, and where do you want to be? What is your own take on these levels?

This week's will be about meaning and purpose, and your overall goal in life. This should inform your other areas too and whether you'd choose to pursue higher levels in health, finance, relationships and so on.

Level 1: Ignoring

You've never thought about why you're here, and you're totally not interested in this aspect of life. You're happy to ignore this question and go with the flow of whatever you see around you, or society's expectations.

Level 2: Seeing

You realise that you're living society's expectations and not really what you want to do for yourself, but you feel a tremendous amount of pressure from other people to continue living the life you have now.

Level 3: Waking up

When you ask the people around you about their goals in life, they often seem confused or just shrug. But that's not good enough for you anymore; you realise that your time here is limited and it's worth it to try to do what you want, instead of just following whatever's convenient. You realise that you can perhaps lead a more fulfilling life of your own design if you figure some of these things out.

Level 4: Struggling

You might start to feel like you've wasted a lot of time without knowing where you're really going, and that your life doesn't really make sense. That's okay - there's no one way to do things, and your previous experiences can be helpful going forward too. Quarter/mid-life crises belong here.

Level 5: Escaping

You start to recognise that maybe some aspects of life are not doing it for you, and you are no longer satisfied with not having a direction to work towards. What is the meaning of your life? These questions start to become more interesting to you.

Level 6: Exploring

You explore various life purposes and try them on for size, and see how you feel about the goal. Some leave you feeling uninspired while others make you cry. Things are not very clear yet, but life is starting to look different.

Level 7: Honing in

You start to narrow down on the directions you want to head in your life, and have an idea of how each choice you make will affect your progress towards this life purpose of yours.

Level 8: Clarifying

You've figured out something that you want to live by, for now. Something that you're comfortable with pursuing. It can be anything you like, but you have an overall goal and know what you want to do in your time here. This can also be simply I'm here to enjoy the ride and die young, or I don't think I want a life purpose and I'm happy where I am.

Level 9: Planning

You have a plan with a concrete strategy to achieve the goals you have set out, and feel certain you can carry out this plan. You are excited to see the things you have in mind become reality.

Level 10: Doing

You're taking action and living your life purpose as you've defined previously. You are seeing results in this aspect of life. You feel like you know what you want to achieve at the end of your life, and you can see yourself making progress towards it. You are aligned with your life purpose, and feel like you can make sense of it.