PROVOK’s manifesto.

Vision without action is a dream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
Wake up.

1. Being exceptional is a choice.

We all have the potential to be exceptional.

But for this to become a reality, we must accept being the exception. It means being willing to do what others are not; to zag when everybody else zigs.

And, you have the choice.

1. You try to fit in:
   You’re not you 100% of the time, and you accept the internal conflict that comes with it. You also accept that if you succeed, you’ll reap the benefits of a lie.
2. You decide to be the exception:
   You’re being you 100% of the time and you accept the external conflict that comes with it because everyone sees you as different.

But, we’re not in the Matrix.
I’m not Morpheus.
There are no magic pills.

We all have the same number of hours available daily and the same action tokens to spend. It’s up to you to do something meaningful with them.

Greatness is not something you are born with. We all have to work for it; it takes time, energy, and sacrifices.

The number of opportunities available to us is endless. It is our ability to create these opportunities that determine our chances of achieving our goals.

Impossible is a meaningless word when we decide to throw away our excuses.

2. We don’t have to be alone.

The human race has been well thought out:
We survive better together. When we are tired, we can recover and get better faster if we’re part of a group.

The group supports the individual, and in return, the individual contributes to the group’s betterment.

1. Our shared beliefs, ideas, and vision bring us together.
2. Acting upon our shared vision while respecting the group’s values creates trust.
3. Culture makes the group stronger.

Leaders have followers because they create change.

Without followers, a leader will never change anything.

From this premise, you have two choices:

• Become a leader and create the movement
• Or follow the movement and make the change happen.

In both cases, you will be working towards a collective vision.

It will not necessarily be your role to articulate it.

But either way, it is your duty to put in the work to achieve it.

3. The secret about meaning and happiness.

If you search everywhere, yet cannot find what you are seeking, it is because what you seek is already in your possession.
— Lao Tzu

If you look for happiness, you only find despair.

If you look for meaning, you find only emptiness.

But there’s a reason for that.

You’re looking for those as if they were inputs to your life, but they’re not.

They’re outputs.

Input style, and you’ll output happiness.

Input direction, and you’ll output meaning.

If you do stuff you’re aligned with, you’ll find meaning.

If you do stuff in a way that makes you feel great, you’ll be happy.

The common denominator here is doing stuff.

You have to do the right stuff in the right way to refill your happiness and meaning bars.

Over time, you’ll build behaviors that will make you happy and give you meaning.

We already have a word for repeating behaviors over time.
It’s called identity.

Building the right identity directly outputs happiness and meaning.

That’s why, for centuries, the human race has talked about:

• finding oneself.
• being true to oneself.
• being authentic.

Building your identity is the secret to happiness and meaning... if you do it and only if you do it right.

It’s not bullshit if you do it. It’s bullshit if you don’t.

It’s easy to act upon.

Your life lacks meaning?
Change direction.

Your life lacks happiness?
Do stuff with style.

We’re already doing that in video games, so we love playing them.

Also, that’s why we call it playing.
Because we’re the players, and because it’s fun.

So, truth is, everybody can be happy and find meaning.

To do so, every step of the way, ask yourself:

• Am I doing the right thing?
• How can I make it awesome?

4. Future. Present. Past; Words. Actions. Identity.

The future is possibility and potential. That future only lives in your head.

In that virtual reality, you can do and be anything you want. It is dreams in superposition.

What you choose to do and be is what you’ll become. It will no longer be virtual. It's not dreams in superposition anymore.

It's only one version of the future written down as is and echoing for eternity.

It's called reality, and you design it in the present.

The choices you make in the present transform your future into your past.

The former is nothing but words. The latter is everything but words.

What separates the two is your actions, not your words.

Action is the bridge between your dreams and your reality.

Stack up enough of the right actions, and you’ll build a bridge to your dreams.

Stack up enough wrong ones, and you’ll build a bridge to your nightmares.

This big stack of actions is your past. It’s the bridge you’ve built so far. It’s the bridge you’re walking on right now. And, each morning, this bridge’s unfinished end is the only one you can build upon.

Course correct every day. Admit you didn’t do the right things yesterday. Admit you didn’t know everything. Admit you were wrong.

What matters is doing it right today. And tomorrow, you’ll have a better past to build upon.

Thus, dream big and act right so your past doesn’t become the nightmare you’ll have to live with forever.

You decide how you want to play the game.
You decide where you want to go.
You decide which direction you take.
You decide how you want to get there.
You decide who you want to be.
You decide how you want to be remembered.

The only thing that will keep you from getting there is you and you alone.