The Escape Adventures

The most valuable skill one can have is self-education. Knowledge and information has never been more accessible, in the history of the world. That also means there's more "noise" than ever. The ability to filter out the noise, and find the information you need is the most difficult part of a self-learning journey. The freedom of information is a double-edged sword though. This also makes the world VERY competitive. If you are not willing or able to seek improvement on your own, you will fall behind. This has always been true to some extent, but the barriers to that improvement are breaking down. The old rules said "Go to college and get a degree. Join the workforce. Go back to school and get a Master's. Get promoted." College and then returning to college were significant barriers for a lot of people. The rigid nature of formal education combined with the cost was too much for a large populous. I tell people all the time, "I am proud life-long student at the University of YouTube." It's not that I only get on YouTube. That's just the easy way of saying that I know how to go get the information/knowledge I need/want. That's only one of dozens of free resources. Discord has thousands of communities which are set up, not as gaming hubs, but as places of learning and mentorship. Microsoft offers free training on hundreds of topics related to their certification programs (Yes the tests cost money, but not the training/knowledge). I can't tell you how many times I got offered free LinkedIn Premium (Which gives access to LinkedIn Learning). The company I work for right now (CALIBRE Systems, Inc.) gives us access to Percipio, which I have been on A LOT lately. I know a lot of other companies offer the same or similar services. For all of you in the US military, Percipio is available to you as well. I could go on and on. Here's the bottom line; keep learning! Your education shouldn't stop when you get a piece of paper. When you stop learning, you stop growing. When you stop growing, you get passed by others. As many football coaches have said, "You either get better or you get worse, you never stay the same." Just some morning ramblings while I drink my coffee and plan the next steps on my journey. #learning #growth #journey

Never let other people dictate your value, or the value of your product. We had a couple come in to our escape room this weekend who were looking to play a game. One of them had played escape rooms before and wanted to share the experience with their friend as a birthday outing. After discussing the options, I told them the price. They both reacted with quite a bit of shock and actually tried to guilt me into altering our price since it was "just the two of them". They even tried the "I've played other escape rooms, but never had to pay $75 for two people". I responded and said I understand, but our prices are competitive and represent the experiences we offer. They left, and I didn't think twice about it. I went back to programming a prop for our next game. They returned twenty minutes later, having decided to bite the bullet and pay to play. By the time their hour was up, their excitement was through the roof. They both kept exclaiming how much they liked this part and that part and how good the game was and how challenged they felt. Both of them vowed to spread the word on their experience and return to play our other game(s). Needless to say, I don't think they are second guessing the cost anymore. p.s. Don't judge me for any typos and/or run-on sentences. I really wanted to post this tonight while it was on my mind, but I'm a bit tired after an 18 hour day. 😁 #knowyourworth #business #escaperoom #escapegame #theescapeadventures

Morning coffee musings... Running an escape room never ceases to amaze me with the striking parallels it shares with life itself. In one of our games, there's a key that players need to unlock the final door, and it's clearly visible from the moment they enter the game. Over the weekend, I observed group after group becoming hyper-focused on obtaining that one key. While hyper focus can sometimes be advantageous, it can also prove to be a hindrance. While the key is visible, there are several other steps and pieces of information that need to be gathered before acquiring it. I witnessed one group spending nearly 30 minutes attempting to retrieve the key without making any progress in gathering crucial information or solving other aspects of the game. This phenomenon, I believe, extends to our lives as well. At times, we can see or envision the things we desire, and we become so fixated on the end result that we overlook the necessary steps to reach it. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my military experience was the concept of backwards planning. By starting with the end in mind, we can then work our way backward, identifying the actionable steps required to reach that desired outcome. Let's remember that life, like an escape room, is a journey with multiple stages and challenges. By embracing a strategic approach and breaking down our goals into manageable steps, we enhance our chances of success and fulfillment. What are your thoughts on this perspective? I'd love to hear your experiences and insights. #MorningMusings #LifeLessons #StrategicApproach #EscapeRoomParallels #TheEscapeAdventures #Business #TeamBuilding