Join the new world

Don't be afraid to make a change.

We all have goals. Some of us want to be rich, or famous, or well-known, or to have lots of friends and lovers. But now and then you find that no matter how much you want something (or someone) -- well, sometimes, your efforts just aren't reciprocated. For example, every year on my birthday I vow that this time, I'll lose a year and get one year younger, but I always mess up and somehow end up a year older. Well, not always... I started out 4 years older than my brother Joe and now I'm 6 years younger than him. But usually... usually I keep getting older. Also, I think he added 6 years to his fake drivers license so he can drink.

So sometimes to achieve a goal, you have to change how you're trying to get it. In real life that means maybe changing your tone of voice or type of clothes. On here, for me, it means changes one of the choices I made when I started.

====================================================================

One thing I've realized is that I'm a newb. A newbie. New player.

There are some downsides to this: I don't have much in the way of gold or USD, my newspaper is not in the top 500-- let alone the top 5, and I don't even have the strength for a single 'Strength of 250' medal.

And there are some great benefits to this newbiedom, such as the ability to make mistakes without real consequences.

I mean, if you're a CP and you attack the wrong country, you might suddenly find yourself invaded from 9 directions at once. If you're a Congressman and you let the wrong citizen into your country, he invites 83,000 of his closest Balkan friends and they end up PTOing your land out from under you.

But as a new player, I can be in the wrong party or MU or job or country, fight in the wrong battle or for the wrong side, and at the end of the day, all I've lost is my own time.

Still, once you realize you have made a mistake, it's time to do something about it. As I am pondering doing right now.

I hate feelings like I made a mistake, but I'm human, and it happens.

Don't feel like you're married to any decision you make before you've been around a month. Many of the most respected characters in this game started off in a completely different country. Quite a few have been in multiple parties. And I'm sure many have been in lots of different military units.

Obviously if you are a serial-jumper, your loyalty will be questioned, so don't just do things randomly. But if you are new, picked something because you did not know any better, don't feel bad because you realize it's a bad fit. I am speaking from experience here-- I have grown to realize that I myself have made a mistake in one of my choices, and you will soon see a difference when you click my profile.

=====================================================================

Of course, it's one thing to wake up one day as an eAmerican and the next day, as say, and eCanadian or eBelgian, but whatever the choice you might be pondering, I have one tidbit to offer that you can agree or disagree with as you like.

Always be gracious.

People are still people, even if all you see are words and avatars on a screen. So, there's no point in badmouthing anyone, even if you walk away from them. There is one political party that I might have joined except I was on #irc and I heard the PP (might have been the VPP) hurtling a scream of vitriolic invectives at someone. Not just cursing, but calling him an idiot. He didn't just burn his bridge with that player, but with me: I judged him as immature and decided he wouldn't be fun to deal with.

Actually, all the other things I would say really are covered by 'just be gracious.' If you leave a MU today you might rejoin it the day after tomorrow. Plenty of people leave eUS but eventually return to it. You might end up PP this year of the party you left last year. You don't want to burn any bridges.

Also, whatever the situation, own the fact that it's your choice, and leave it at that. And be honest with people. Say something like "I can only be a 2-clicker for the next month because I have to do this test/thesis/term paper/level 90 guild run." No one will judge you because you have a life or other priorities, as long as you're clear about it; this way you're not letting anyone down, and they won't be forced to scramble to cover your position.

So, that's my post for today. In a nutshell: I have decided to experiment a bit-- and even if I end up in a disastrous situation, it's okay to have made such a mistake because I'm a newbie. I figure no one will end up holding a grudge as long as I stick to the path I'm on, of being gracious and honest and above-board.