One thing I want to pre-establish is that I still consider myself a ‘bronze player’.
All things considered, the advice I heed at this point will have a significant impact on my potential for growth moving forward. This goes hand in hand with my previous post where I mention the need to turn a deaf ear to anything and everything coming out of a bronze player’s mouth.
There seems to be an inevitable gravitational force bronze level players emit towards one another in every game. Bronze level players tend to blame everyone but themselves, refuse to practice getting better, and spout off nonsense every chance they get. And most team up with players of similar levels in-game.
Having a conversation with friends and family provides much needed emotional comfort and solace.
Friends and family will never shy away from me when I seek help and will spare no anecdotes and advice to help me out. But it’s important to keep a close watch on what advice to listen to.
Listening to and emulating a bronze player will more than likely leave you a bronze player. They are where they are because of the way they think and how they live.
Many have nothing but good intentions and truly believe sharing their experiences with you is for your own good. That’s why I’m a firm believer in that the people you’re surrounded by determines who you are. It’s extremely important to put yourself amongst people that you respect.
Of course, it’s a bit different if your friends and family members are people like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. But what’s most important is that you find yourself envisioning becoming like the individual speaking in front of you.
There’s also the risk of falling into a vicious cycle. You may end up finding yourself feeling defiant towards taking advice from upper ranking players, chasing after a compensation mentality, in addition to feeling angry and bitter. This drives you deeper into a rut where you empathize with other bronze players and close yourself off.
Bronze players spend minimal amounts of time with higher tier players. All in all, bronze players are exposed to fellow bronze players more, often resulting in a deeper engravement of the ‘bronze’ mindset. This is why bronze players gravitate towards each other.
Then what avenues can bronze players take to receive guidance from higher ranking players? The following methods can be effective ways to gain insight.
[1] The most straightforward way is by reading books. Books are filled with advice and guidance from not just diamond level players but go much more beyond into the realm of challenger tier individuals.
[2] Oftentimes, the first few pages contain the author’s email. Reach out to the author from the bottom of your heart. Very few people actually reach out to the author personally.
[3] Message people with more experience than you on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Schedule a meeting with them and learn whatever you can.
[4] Request a counseling session with your nearest supervisor at work or even the boss.
[5] Offer payment for their time. Ask for a quick meeting, even 10 minutes of their time may be invaluable.
