​Read this on matthewdoan.com​

Read time: 5 minutes

Stop. Be still. Absorb this one.

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The Secret

This essay may get peoples’ panties in a bunch.

So, please keep an open mind.

Let’s dive in.

You’ve heard the “game of life” phrase before.

But does that actually mean anything to you?

Do you know the rules, and are you consciously playing that game?

Probably not.

I am not all-knowing, but I have a sharp perspective on games that’ll radically improve your life if you’re open to it.

Investing over $100K in self-development, immersing myself with legendary people, and experimenting with myself (and my clients) for over 10 years taught me this: it’s all about ENERGY.

So, I’d like to rephrase the Game of Life as the Energy Game.

Let’s dive in.
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Caught up in the practical

Growing up, we’re taught to play the Practical Game.

This means:

• Choosing a sensible major
• Marrying the “right” person
• Making smart money moves
• Climbing the corporate ladder
• Building a 65+ retirement nest egg

Makes sense, right? Gotta ground ourselves in “reality.”

And so we toil daily, being sensible and playing by logical (earthly) rules.

And with everyone else seemingly playing the Practical Game, our brain says, “Let’s do the same.”

But where does that lead many of us?

Unfulfilled, bored, stagnant…and sometimes profoundly depressed and anxious.

Why does the Practical Game let us down?

Simple: we’re playing the wrong game.

Instead, we need to obsess about energy.

We need to live in a high-energy state.

Our feelings serve as our “success” barometer. High energy equates to sustained feelings of joy, ease, flow, and happiness.

The Energy Game is the most important game you’ll ever play.

When you play it well, ironically, you’ll start succeeding more in the Practical Game.

As the legendary 49ers coach Bill Walsh said, when you’re putting your best energy to work, “the score takes care of itself.”

Some might call this:

• Connecting to source
• Raising your vibration
• Living in higher frequency

You might’ve experienced these teachings through religion or spiritual practices.

(TIME OUT! If you’re still reading, I congratulate you. Most people will tune out and head back to doom-scrolling by now.)

Because you’re still with me, you understand there’s something out there that you can’t physically touch. It’s a force (energy) far bigger than all of humanity…but it’s everything.

It’s the Energy Game.

Playing is simple, and it even comes with a scorecard:

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“Winning” means that you’re staying ABOVE the line.

The higher you go above the line, the better you feel and perform at the Practical Game.

The energy game is the most important game you’ll ever play — day after day.

Here’s how this might play out for you in a work context.

• High-energy: Focused on the essential. Operating in your Zone of Genius. Highly effective and efficient, stepping away at 5pm feeling content and ready to prioritize loved ones.
• Low-energy: 3AM anxiety about the day ahead. Drowning in non-stop meetings. Always behind. Pissed that your job sucks.

Let’s take the TikTok star Miss Excel as an example.

Her job is to put out high-vibe, high-value, high-virality Excel tips (paired with dancing 💃).

In her case, content = energy transmission.

Or take elite athletes — they can’t just step into the arena and succeed in a low-energy state.

No, they must prime themselves into a high-energy state through visualization, rituals, and music.

Same goes for you.

With me so far? Good.

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How to play the Energy Game

We’ll save the advanced-level stuff for later. Here are the fundamentals.

Living As-If

• As Neville Goddard said, whatever we assume to be true, we call into our reality.
• Through rituals (e.g., meditation, nature walks), visualize and FEEL what it’s like to live in your desired reality.
• As much as you can, live AS IF your desired future has already manifested.
• We do this because our brains can’t differentiate between physical and imagined experiences, so we tune to what we want.

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High-Quality People & Ideas

• No more watching the news or allowing open loops that take you away from your dream.
• Learn to “graduate” from the default friends, family, and colleagues who no longer serve you (say goodbye or minimize time with them).
• Infuse your mind with high-quality relationships, books, and content that pull you to your desired emotional and physical states.
• This is the art of tuning OUT the 99% and tuning IN to your desired 1%.

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Stillness

• A commonality across all ancient spiritual practices and religions is STILLNESS.
• Stillness is the key — we must learn to cultivate this regularly
• Cultivate rituals and activities where you disconnect and learn to think and focus again
• Your mind is a supercomputer, but the noisy world installed a virus — so clean your system

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These are the fundamentals of the Energy Game.

Do you see how this catalyzes MASSIVE success in the Practical Game?

Please, don’t ignore this anymore. Don’t logic your way out of this one.

Find the bravery to engage (and trust) what you can’t touch.

​(We obsess over this in my coaching program.)​

Want to succeed at unimaginable levels in your physical reality?

Great! Make your future self proud.

Play the Energy Game all out.

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Mind-Bender

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Podcast

​Invisible Progress: You want “real” results — proof that your professional or personal transformation efforts are working. But sometimes, nothing appears to be happening. In this case, you must measure differently. You need to embrace the idea of Invisible Progress. Learn how in this episode! (🎧 Listen here)

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That’s it for today, my friend! I appreciate you.

—Matt

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