Often fashionable among gamers, Hard Mode is when you willingly turn up the difficulty level of your game even though simpler options exist. In this mode the complexity of the mission goes up, the villains are harder to defeat, more constraints creep in and you need to fire on all cylinders.
But on the other hand – many games unlock better content, more side quests and the rewards multiply faster. According to gaming experts, this mode was invented to keep players engaged for a longer duration. This also ensured that the gameplay did not become too monotonous and players did not slip into their comfort zone and remained hooked.
Life in Hard Mode
Periodically life can also become like that – routine, predictable and needing zero effort. The busyness of life makes it seem like one is making progress and going far. But that is not the truth. One is often running on a treadmill of everyday routine. That’s when it is time to introduce Hard Mode. It is time to then increase the incline on that treadmill and unlock a world full of possibilities. It could be learning a new musical instrument, becoming 1 % better at what you do (MS Excel?), losing weight or even to make those big career moves and take that leap of faith.
But life doesn’t always give you the option. Sometimes the only choice one has is to operate in Hard Mode. Either way, living life in this mode can be extremely demanding but also rewarding.
What really makes Hard Mode, Hard?
One, it is cognitively demanding. This means that you need to rewire your neural pathways. In other words, you need to unlearn the many things that have become second nature to you. These old habits are difficult to break. Taking on newer, complex tasks requires you to examine your previous experiences differently, scan through a lot of material and sometimes just accept that you know nothing and start over.
Second, as context shifts, past experiences and accolades become irrelevant. At a new job for instance, the odds may not be in your favour despite your position. People, processes, mindsets and legacy baggage may force you to adapt and change both strategy and tactics to ensure you meet your goals. This can be extremely stressful. The agility to adapt is like a muscle built over time. This is done through intense, deliberate practice and keeping at it without switching to the default easy mode, which requires Herculean effort.
Third, this is a daily choice that one makes. There are multiple ways to keep oneself motivated but consistency is difficult. The lure of the path of least resistance is hard to overlook. So it requires you to make choices which you have shied away from even as you show up to do the heavy lifting every day. Everyday it demands ruthless prioritisation, saying no more often and practicing candour with people – all are demanding in their own way.
And lastly, there are no rules. There are no instruction prompts. There is no manual. You just have to learn as you go. So it is important to stay vigilant, while maintaining a maniacal focus on the mission at hand. One needs to stay close to the ground, observe and process (and accept) feedback, learn from mistakes, pivot and make changes while continuously identify threats and risks and respond to them in a measured manner.
What Makes it Worth It?
Hard Mode often has to be approached in bursts. Continued gameplay in this mode can lead to burnout and stress. But if one knows when to pause the game, then playing in this mode can be extremely rewarding.
Just like in the world of games, successful completion of missions in Hard Mode opens up new possibilities. The sense of achievement which follows completion of a seemingly insurmountable task makes the difficulties worth it. It builds a strong sense of self and promotes higher confidence. Just remember the time when you finished that hike and reached the peak on a trek.
Neurologically too, the brain rewires itself to form newer connections as one engages in deliberate practice and completes complex tasks. This phenomenon is known as Neuroplasticity and it aids and promotes acquisition of new skills and knowledge throughout one’s life. Hard mode is likely to improve neuroplasticity of the brain by bringing the right stimulus to it.
Having played life in Hard Mode, I can attest that a successful game play in Hard Mode can help you to feel less anxious about the uncertainties of life. Though life’s vagaries will often catch us off guard, it is comforting to know that one can face whatever may come your way.