Now that I've explained why having a Main Quest is essential, let's look at some tips and frameworks we can follow.

First Tip: Make it Infinite

When you're formulating your main quest, I'd recommend you to think of something that's Open-ended or Infinite. Something you'd like to pursue for the rest of your life. If you do this then you're insulated from the "NOW WHAT?" effect.

Story Tangent

The NOW WHAT effect is basically post-achievement depression. It's the feeling after accomplishing a certain milestone in life then having no clear purpose after you've "done it" because you prepared nothing else.

The first time I felt that was when I graduated in College. All my life I was guided by a heavily controlled educational institution, I was told what to do in every step of the way and I passed every significant test they gave me. When that quest was achieved, and I was left idle and unemployed. I was left to ask "Now What?" and felt incredibly sad. The emotional whiplash was immense (FYI I'm highly sensitive). Heck, I wasn't even sure that I was in the right college degree, but I had already graduated!

The next time I felt the "Now-What effect" was when I got accepted to a prestigious music camp that was being mentored by the best musicians in the country. I had the best time in my life and got to meet and interact with my musical heroes on a human level. Some of them even praised my songs. I was on top of the world. Then I went home and felt completely sad. It was over. I worked hard for two years of my life to get in and I got what I wanted, now what? I had no path lined up and fell back to my unproductive gaming habit.

The problem with being on top of the world is that you'll have to return to the ground. My Quest--the one that I dedicated years of my life trying to achieve was finished. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo had to go home after destroying the One Ring at Mount Doom. When he returned to the Shire, the place had changed drastically, and so did he.

The deep sadness that comes with that is what I call the "Now What?" effect. This sadness is dangerous because it could lead you to be directionless for a period of time, and that time is enough for self-destructive habits to take hold. Now, I've learned to setup an Infinite Main Quest that points to a general direction, so that after celebrating my milestones and returning home I can keep growing towards the next step.

By formulating an Infinite Main Quest you will always have a direction on the horizon after finishing a big milestone quest. Your Main Quest should encompass your entire life. To fix my previous mistake, I now make it a point to hone my creative crafts and ship them constantly.

Unlike Video Games, life ends when you're gone, so set up something you can live for or live up to for the rest of your life.

Second Tip: Make it Grounded in Reality

There's no sense aiming for a Main Quest that's physically impossible or something that you can't map out from start to finish. You should also to check your Skill Book as well as the opportunities around you to help you decide.

If your Main Quest is without clear first step then you're setting yourself up for lots procrastination, and eventually, failure.

Third Tip: Make it Broad and Adaptable

One of the reasons I started working on this is because the world is changing around us unpredictably. It is now more important to think of a Main Quest that will stand the test of time.

If your goal is to be the best YouTuber in the world then what will happen when a platform overtakes it in the future? A better Quest would be: "To build a media empire that's focused on featuring local cuisine".

Bonus Tip: Separate your Main Quest in Phases

Like the MCU, you can divide your Main Quest in Phases, especially if the future isn't quite certain yet.

For Example: Phase 1 is an exploration of what's possible. Phase 2 is execution on a chosen path and gathering resources. Phase 3 is to be decided while still having a metric of success to aim for.

Quest Frameworks

Here I'll present the various Frameworks that people have used to define their Main Quests. Treat this as advice and mix and match as you'd like.

Framework #1 Define Your Values

Define the things that you value in your life. These are the virtues you will uphold above all and will never compromise on. If you have a philosophical framework or religion then you can borrow from those.

Some examples are:

• Wealth

• Knowledge

• Self-Discipline

• Creativity and Creation

• Freedom

• Flexibility

• Financial Security

• Family

• Fitness

If you uphold certain values then your decision making will be clearer. If you value Relationships over Wealth, then you're not okay scamming your friends. If you value Knowledge and Self-Discipline then you'd rather not skip on your classes. If you value Honesty in Relationships they you won't cheat on your girlfriend.

For a more concrete example, the Stoic virtues are: Wisdom/Discipline, Courage, Temperance, and Justice. This or something similar can be a good starting point.

Framework #2 Vision and Mission Statement

Companies have their own Vision and Statement to guide them on their decision making. Like the Values explained above, it enables them to be guided by a certain vision of an ideal future. This is similar to "Be the Change you want to see in the world". How about you, what's your mission in life?

Framework #3 Lifestyle-Centric Planning

Some wise Players have figured that it doesn't matter what work they do as long as they get to pick their lifestyle and live that for the rest of their life. Digital Nomads fall in this position as well as family guys who are fine with whatever as long as they get to be with their kids. Some choose a life of service or spend it in a singular field of study or craft.

As for me, I used to aspire to have Stephen King's lifestyle: Write 4 hours daily in the morning then read in the afternoon. Release at least one book every year then do that till he can't. He is now 76 as of this writing and has released 65 novels.

Framework #4 Emulate other Characters

There are many high-level, highly successful characters out there that are worthy of emulation. Just like how we copy other people's builds in video games, choosing someone else's Real Life build with your own modifications is a valid way to go.

This is Not the End

Your Main Quest will change constantly depending on the circumstances around you. As you learn and grow through your life you'll have to adjust constantly because reality likes to mess with our plans.

Allow yourself to be flexible. Use the Frameworks not as hard rules but as Ingredients you can add to your own personal soup. This is in by no means a definitive list. i myself still have a lot to learn.

Now What?

Now that you have a Main Quest it will perhaps look too vague or unclear. It also may look too ambitious or insurmountable and you won't know where to start. That's where we'll move on to the next crucial tool on our Character Sheets: The Daily Quests.

The Idea is to set up Daily Quests that will be the levers that will get you closer to your Main Quest. I'll explain this in the next post.

As always, let me know if you find this hopeful or if you'd like to share feedback.