7 Laws to Change the Game and Level Up

Introduction

I’ve spent years mastering games I didn’t even want to play. Corporate systems. Metrics. Deadlines. Promotions. University. The invisible scoreboard that measures success by numbers and titles instead of meaning, impact—resonance.

I played well—better than most—but winning started to feel hollow.

boredom set in first. Then anxiety. Then resentment. Eventually, I realized the game itself was the problem. It wasn’t designed for creators, builders, or visionaries. It was designed to reward compliance. And I wasn’t built for compliance.

That realization didn’t make walking away any easier. Leaving the safety of a structured "game"—one with clear rules, predictable outcomes, and guaranteed paychecks—feels reckless. But staying felt worse. Staying meant sacrificing the parts of me that wanted more. Not more money. Not more status. More purpose. More autonomy. More creation.

I see the same struggle everywhere. People stuck in jobs, relationships, or habits that feel pointless. They either numb themselves to the boredom or drown in the anxiety of falling behind in games they secretly despise. Worse, some convince themselves the game is rigged and give up altogether.

But what if the problem isn’t you? What if it’s the game itself?

The truth is, most people never stop to question the rules they’re playing by. They don’t realize they can change the game—or level up entirely. That’s what this newsletter is about. It’s about recognizing the games you’re trapped in, rethinking the rules, and taking back control.

Because you weren’t meant to play someone else’s game. You were meant to build your own.

7 Laws of Leveling Up

Law 1: Recognize the Game You’re Playing—Before It Plays You

You are already playing a game, whether you realize it or not. Life is a system of invisible rules, incentives, and punishments. Ignore this reality at your peril. The job you hate, the obligations you resent, the routines that drain you—each one is part of a larger structure designed to keep you playing, even when the rewards are small and the costs are high.

The first step to reclaiming control is to see the game for what it is: a framework imposed on you, not chosen by you.

Examine the rules.

Who benefits from your participation? Who sets the standards for success? And most importantly—do these rules align with what you value?

Never assume the game is fair. Most are rigged to benefit the designers, not the players. Understand this truth, and you will stop playing blindly. You will become a strategist instead of a pawn.

Law 2: Detect the Signals—Boredom, Anxiety, Depression, and Anger Are Clues

Emotions are not weaknesses; they are signals. Learn to interpret them instead of dismissing them.

• Boredom means the game is too easy. You’ve mastered the rules and are no longer challenged. Stagnation is death to ambition. If you feel bored, you are overqualified for the game you are playing.

• Anxiety means the game is too hard. You lack the resources, knowledge, or positioning to compete effectively. Anxiety warns you that you are unprepared or fighting battles outside your zone of influence.

• Depression means the game feels pointless. Winning no longer excites you, and losing feels inevitable. This signal tells you the rewards of the game no longer justify the effort required to play.

• Anger means the game is rigged. You sense manipulation or unfairness in the system. Anger can either drive you to destroy the system—or inspire you to outwit it.

Ignore these signals at your own risk. They are messengers designed to protect you from wasting your life on games unworthy of your time.

Law 3: Change the Game—Rewrite the Rules in Your Favor

You do not have to accept the current game.

Those who design the rules hold the power, but power can be seized. The secret is to stop playing by rules designed to contain you. Instead, design your own game.

Start by defining your metrics for success. Strip away external expectations. What do you actually want? Creative freedom? Influence? Wealth? Time? Your goal must be clear, or you will fall into the trap of chasing someone else’s definition of success.

Next, identify the skills, systems, and leverage points required to win your game. Study the masters—those who escaped traditional systems and built their own frameworks. I think of innovative individuals like Dan Koe, Justin Welsh, Andrew Tate and Elon Musk.

From those you admire, take what resonates. Use their strategies, and adapt them as needed. Remember: power is gained through positioning. Do not compete where the rules favor others. Instead, create a niche so specific that no one else can compete with you.

Law 4: Level Up—Master the Systems That Matter

Once you create your game, you must become obsessed with mastery. Amateurs blame circumstances; masters adapt to them. Study the tools and techniques required to dominate your domain.

• Learn faster than your competitors. Information asymmetry creates power.

• Build leverage through technology, media, and social media networks. These tools multiply effort.

• Cultivate adaptability. Stagnation kills progress faster than failure.

Leveling up is not optional. If you remain static, you will be overtaken by those who continuously evolve. Do not rest on past achievements—treat every victory as a stepping stone, not a destination.

Law 5: Burn the Ships—Make Failure Impossible

The greatest power move is to eliminate retreat as an option. Those who keep one foot in the old world never commit fully to the new one. Burn the ships. Sever ties with systems, habits, and mindsets that keep you trapped.

This does not mean acting recklessly.

It means building a strategy so strong that retreat becomes unnecessary. Invest fully in your transformation. Publicly declare your shift. Surround yourself with allies who push you forward and cut ties with those who pull you back.

Commitment creates pressure.

Pressure creates focus.

Focus creates power.

Law 6: Dominate the Narrative—Control How the Game Is Seen

Perception is power.

Most people believe the game they are in is the only game that exists. Your ability to reframe reality—to show others new rules, new strategies, and new possibilities—will position you as a leader.

Tell stories that inspire and challenge.

Use your art, music, writing, and ideas to reshape how people think. Do not ask for permission to lead—declare yourself the authority in your domain and back it up with proof.

A powerful narrative does not just attract followers; it repels doubters. Let others see the game through your lens. Those who resonate will rally to your cause.

Law 7: Create a Legacy—Build Systems That Outlast You

The endgame is not just to win but to create systems that endure.

Build frameworks that continue generating value long after you’re gone. Automate, document, and scale your processes. Teach others what you’ve learned.

Legacy is not about being remembered; it’s about leaving something that others can build upon. Create systems that transcend your presence, and you will never be forgotten.

Conclusion: Change the Game or Be Changed by It

You have two options:

1. Continue playing by rules designed to limit you, or

2. Rewrite the rules to expand you.

Both paths require risk, but only one leads to autonomy.

The world does not reward those who wait for permission.

It rewards those who decide to play differently. The game is yours to design—but only if you are willing to take control.

Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat (Fortune Favors The Bold)

Thank you for reading,

—Lawrence