I like role-playing video games. In fact, they’re one of only two types of video games I like to play (the other being strategy games).

In only an hour or so, with the only effort required being time and learning a few button combinations, you can take a character from a complete newbie to a superpowered, super-skilled demigod who can conquer the world.

It’s quite satisfying.

You can watch this character of yours grow, develop new skills, conquer increasingly difficult challenges, and know for certain you’ll reach the apex if you just put in enough time.

This could not be more different from the real world.

Learning new, meaningful skills requires a massive amount of time along with physical and mental energy you may or may not have, especially if you’re working all day or raising a family (or both).

You could spend years mastering something rather than a few hours in a game. And there’s never any guarantee that what you learn will pay off—or that you even can master it.

So you spend your time playing the game rather than doing the hard thing in real life. And each time you make that choice, it gets harder to make the opposite choice next time.

Doing hard things in real life is a muscle that must be exercised regularly, lest it atrophy.