The Game of LIFE

Ever feel the surge of clarity after journaling, meditating, or a retreat—only to get smacked by an old trigger and wonder if anything worked? Julie Wynne takes us straight into the messy middle where growth actually happens, unpacking why resistance spikes right after momentum and how to meet it without making it mean you failed. Using the vivid metaphor of life as a video game, we talk about new levels, tougher bosses, and the art of replaying without shame—because challenge is part of the design, not a detour.

We dive into desire as a daily compass, not a one-time vision-board moment. When you forget what you want, you start playing by someone else’s rules: their timeline, their metrics, their speed. Julie shares simple, durable practices to re-center fast—rereading your own words, rewriting focus statements, and posting intentions where your future self can’t miss them. We also get honest about distractions. From doom-scroll spirals to “productive” content binges, these habits quietly siphon momentum and pull you out of your lane. A short digital detox routine can turn the volume down and return you to your rhythm.

Manifesting gets a grounded reframe too. Instead of chasing bigger-faster-more, we explore alignment as the core of creation—sometimes additive, sometimes subtractive. The bravest choice can be a slower, peaceful path that actually fits your nervous system. We close with a quarterly check-in to notice quiet wins you might be overlooking: quicker recovery, kinder self-talk, tighter boundaries. Celebrate your current level. You didn’t fall off; you met resistance because you moved forward. Ready to choose how you’ll play the next level?

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Transcript

Momentum Meets Resistance

The Crabs In A Pot Metaphor

Hitting The Edge Of The Known Self

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hello and welcome back to the Spiritual Shit Show. My name is Julie Wynne, and I am sharing with you the work in real time of what self-development and healing and manifestation and energy work, what it really requires, because when we hear the information, sometimes it's like we expect the end goal, and there can be a really messy middle. And this is what happens to all of us. And what I want to talk about today is, you know, what happens when you do sit down with yourself, you journal, you reflect, you go on the yoga retreat, you meditate, you get really honest with yourself, you figure out what you want, and everything feels in alignment. You get excited, you feel focused, you're motivated, you start making changes, you feel momentum. And then something happens. Maybe it's a conversation with somebody that kind of triggers you. Maybe you are beginning to feel old emotions. Maybe you're getting frustrated that things aren't happening quick enough. And then suddenly you feel like you're right back where you started. And then the thought comes in, is this even working? I am so mad at myself or the universe. I've had so many times where I'm so angry with the universe. And then you get frustrated because then it feels like a loop. Like you move forward and then life pulls you backward. There's this story about crabs in a pot. If you put a bunch of crabs in a pot, you don't actually need a lid because when one starts to climb out, the other grabs it and pulls it back down. And it's not because the crabs are evil or jealous. It's just because anything leaving the familiar environment triggers reaction. And growth can feel like that. You start becoming someone new. You start feeling hope and possibilities, and then something pulls you back. Sometimes it's people, sometimes it's responsibilities, sometimes it's life throwing you a complete wrench right in your path. And sometimes it's just your own nervous system going, hey, we don't know this place yet. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Now we're gonna flood you with fear. We don't want to get out. And we make the mistake that this pool, this pullback means that we shouldn't be climbing. And what I want to remind you today is that when we are experiencing what feels like life is pulling us back, back into the thing that we try to climb out of, back into the loop. What this usually means is you have reached the edge of the known version of you. You reached the edge of the known version of you. And so the slipping back, it's normal. And that's what I want this podcast to really be about today is this messy middle, these things that are normal. And to remind you, if you are experiencing that in your life right now, that it is not failure. It doesn't mean that things aren't working.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

You just hit a little resistance.

Life As A Video Game

SPEAKER_01 3:45

And that means you're in the game. You're in the game of life. When you play a game, like uh, I don't even know, like old Nintendo. I don't play games, so clearly I can't reference one. But when you play a game, all right. So think you're in the game, you have the controller in your hand. Every time you reach a new level, there's a little bit of a sense of like, what is this new level gonna be? What are the obstacles? And you don't get mad at the game for having challenges, they're expected. And that's how you know you advance. You advance to the next level because you have overcome these obstacles. And sometimes you lose the level. And sometimes the level is really, really, really, really, really hard. And you have to start over that level many times. And every time you have to start over, you don't start over with like defeat and fear and frustration. You're like, there's a little bit of motivation there. Like, you just want to get a little farther. And then the obstacles are what keep you in the game because you just want to get a little farther and you want to get a little farther and you want to get a little farther. And I want you to think of your life as a game. You are literally playing the game of life. So don't question your worth as a human. Don't question your dreams. Continue to focus on where you're heading. What's the big challenge going to be that I can actually overcome and overcome it with a sense of joy and excitement?

SPEAKER_00 5:32

You lean forward and go.

Desire As A Compass

SPEAKER_01 5:38

And in life, when we hit resistance, we make it mean something to us instead of realizing that this is literally part of the level. And then this is where desire becomes really important because when you slip, you forget what you wanted. You stop orienting towards your life and start reacting to whatever is the loudest. You start feeling defeated by the obstacles in this level, in this game. So I want you to keep coming back to these questions for yourself. Who am I right now? What do I actually want? What do I desire? And remember, you're not asking it just once. You have to ask it over and over. It has to become a devotional practice because desire keeps you in clarity and it keeps you playing your own game. The moment you lose contact with your desire, you start playing someone else's game. You forget the game that you're actually playing. And then you start measuring yourself by their timeline and their level, their speed, their ambition, their way of living. And then you become exhausted, confused, frustrated.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

Life can feel heavy. And that's because you somehow have slipped into somebody else's game.

Escaping Other People’s Game

Manifesting As Alignment Not Aesthetics

SPEAKER_01 7:12

And it's a game that you never have actually chosen. This is where alignment becomes really important. When I am really crystal clear on what it is that I desire, then things can become an alignment for me. And then I can become very aware of when I have slipped into somebody else's game, and I can pull myself back. I can pick up the controllers in my own life again and play my own game. And I want to remind you that, you know, when it comes to manifesting, sometimes there feels like there's so much pressure to like have more money and bigger house and a car. And we can build big and beautiful things.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

And what manifesting really is staying in alignment, authentically building the game that is for you.

Practical Recenter Tools

SPEAKER_01 8:13

And that can be a slower, peaceful game. It can be intentional. It can be a game that's actually taking things out of it. And it doesn't have to be so fast and so explosive. The real courage is choosing the game, choosing the life, choosing the experiences that are yours. And I feel like this year is asking for real authenticity, not aesthetic authenticity, not identity labels, but noticing where am I acting from habit? Where am I acting from protection? Where am I acting from fear? Where did I leave my own rhythm to match somebody else's? Where am I playing somebody else's game? And I want you to continue to return to your desires. Return to yourself. So when you feel yourself slipping back, instead of panicking or feeling frustrating, frustration, or today, this happened to me and I cried. Here are a few simple things that you can do to get back into alignment. First, remember I want you to expect obstacles. They're not interrupting the path, they are part of the path. Second, go back and read your own words. This is why I love journaling so much and taking notes and hanging them up in places where you can see them. Because it that reading your own intentions and you rereading what you have set out as a desire is what can bring you back faster than anything else. Back back to yourself, back to your intention, back to your focus. Also, take some time to rewrite your focus. What do I value in life? What do I want? Where am I heading? What do I desire?

SPEAKER_00 10:48

You are creating the game. So write your game. And then these things that you value, desire, that are powerfully authentically to you, hang them somewhere you can see it.

Notice And Remove Distractions

Focus And Reframe Resistance

SPEAKER_01 11:11

And then this other thing is really, really, really, really important. And this is coming in as a huge aha for me. I want you to notice your distractions. What do you reach for when you're feeling challenged or uncomfortable or you're slipping? For me, I am reminded that as much as I am incorporating fasting into my monthly habits, I also need to incorporate detoxing, digital detox. I need to deliberately put away my phone and put away the screens and put away the podcasts and all of these other things that I tend to lean on as distractions. So for building momentum and focus and alignment and excitement about the game that we are playing, we also have to pay attention to what is distracting me. The distractions are what slows the momentum in our lives. And the distractions can be the obstacles itself. The distractions can be what is causing the frustration. When you're looking on Instagram and you're feeling bad about yourself because you're seeing other people's lives and what they're doing, that is what is slowing you up. That is what you're jumping into somebody else's game. It's pulling you out of your own game. Focus, focus, focus. 2026 is a year of focus.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

And the reminder is you didn't fall off.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

You met resistance because you moved forward. So instead of asking yourself, why does this keep happening? Or why am I frustrated? Or why do I feel defeated? I want you to ask yourself, how do I want to play this next level?

Q1 Check-In And Celebrate Levels

SPEAKER_00 13:28

And then pause. Come back. Get back to what it is that you desire. You're not starting over. Life isn't pulling you back. It's just pushing you into the next level. So before we end, let's actually check in.

Close With Love And Encouragement

SPEAKER_01 13:56

Because we're almost three months into the year already. Today, if you desire, just think about have you drifted? Have you drifted from what matters to you? Are you still focused on what you desired January 1st? I want you to come back to your intentions for 2026 and ask yourself honestly, am I actually in the same place? Or have I leveled up in ways I haven't even noticed? Maybe you can acknowledge, oh my gosh, yes, I actually am not stuck. I have actually accomplished a lot in the past three months. I'm proud of myself. I can see that I react differently. I recover faster. I choose myself sooner. I want you to look at what you've done. Look at what you've carried. Look at how far you've come. This is also part of the game of life, is celebrating. Like when you overcome that level, there is a moment where you cheer and you celebrate and you feel accomplished. So I want us to continue to integrate this idea that we're playing an incredible game of life. It's coming with obstacles, it's coming with challenges. It may require us to start over and over again and again and again and again. Some levels may be harder than others. But regardless, after each level has been accomplished and you get to go to the next level, we celebrate. So I want you today, celebrate. Where am I? I like to always replace the age of who I am as more of the level in life that I am. So I'm on level 47, y'all, and I want to celebrate that. I have made it 47 levels in this life. Hell yeah. And I can't wait for the other levels and the challenges that they're going to bring me. And most importantly, the celebrations that I get to have because I've accomplished something. I've accomplished it. I've overcome the obstacles. I am getting stronger. Every level that I accomplish, I get stronger, right? You feel that power when you're playing a game. The more levels the character gets through, the better they are, the stronger they are, the more power they have, the more wisdom they have. So you celebrating how far you have come, you recognizing the level that you are in life right now, celebrate it. Feel that power, feel that wisdom, feel that excitement. Be proud of yourself. And where in your life can you see? Yes, actually, I think I've been playing the same level and level over and over and over again. But really, honestly, I've just moved through five levels. Hell yeah! Next level. Allow yourself to be in a new level. I am sending you so much love. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being in this game with me. And I am seeing, honoring, and loving how you do life. How you are choosing to live your game of life. Till next time.