I believe you can learn a lot about a person from how they played The Sims. Their aspirations, hidden desires—it’s all there in the game. (I’ll leave aside those who would put them in a pool and remove the ladder).

For me, it was simple to the point of embarrassment. I created a single Sim with the ambitious personality trait. Built them a house that was way too big. Then sent them on one mission: be the best at everything.

So I reached level 10 in all the skills. I grew bizarre plants, caught lobsters, beat everyone at chess.

When that got boring, I sent them on their second life mission: to reach the highest rank in everything.

That meant every job The Sims offered, reaching the highest rank in all of them. There was no real clue what happened at the top, just the uniforms and how they got to work. A soccer player in a helicopter. A spy in a helicopter. A politician in a helicopter. Maybe less diverse than I thought.

In a lot of ways, this is just me as an adult. The world is bursting with opportunities, problems that are fascinating to solve, people I’m dying to work with, articles to read, fields to excel in.

Sometimes I wonder if this appetite is a blessing or a curse - every choice is a surrender of infinite other possibilities. But then I remind myself that I have at least 34 more years until retirement. I know it’s weird, but that comforts me. There will be many more helicopters to fly to work in.

This might explain why people consult with me about careers. I’ve basically done them all—scientist, businesswoman, chef. Actually, except for criminal. That was too stressful for me.

In the next post: about the time I stopped at a red light in GTA-5.