Field Report: Treat Your Practices as NPCs
Filed by: LevelUp_IRL Recon Unit
Subject: Practices in Daily Life
Adventurer,
On the road to leveling up, you’ll encounter countless routines, habits, and disciplines. At first glance, they may look like scenery—mundane, forgettable, maybe even obstacles. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice something: your practices behave a lot like NPCs (non-player characters).
Ignore them, and they’ll wander about aimlessly, offering little.
Respect them, and they become allies, guides, and quest-givers.
This Field Report will help you understand why you must treat your practices as NPCs, and how to do so through my UPOR framework: Understanding → Practice → Outcome → Relationship.
Understanding: Get to Know the NPC
Every NPC has a backstory and a role. A blacksmith strengthens your gear, a healer restores you, a sage imparts wisdom. Likewise, each practice has its own nature and purpose.
Before engaging, pause and ask: What does this practice actually offer me?
- Exercise might grant energy and resilience.
- Budgeting offers security and the freedom to pursue bigger quests.
- Reflection or prayer provides clarity and alignment.
Understanding transforms a vague “should do” into a character you recognize and respect.
Practice: Show Up to the Conversation
In RPGs, you don’t unlock a quest until you actually talk to the NPC. The same is true here—you have to show up and interact with the practice.
- Go to the gym, even for 10 minutes.
- Write a single line in your journal.
- Spend two minutes in silence or prayer.
Every interaction builds rapport. The more you “talk” with the practice, the more quests it entrusts to you.
Outcome: Collect the Rewards
NPCs give rewards—gold, tools, clues—after you complete their quests. Practices do the same.
- The Fitness NPC grants stamina and confidence.
- The Budgeting NPC unlocks hidden treasure maps toward financial freedom.
- The Reflection NPC reveals wisdom and inner peace.
Sometimes the reward is instant; other times, it accumulates quietly in the background like XP. Either way, the outcome reinforces the value of the relationship.
Relationship: From Stranger to Trusted Ally
At first, the NPC might feel like a stranger, even a nuisance. But over time, with repeated interaction, they become a mentor, guide, or even a cornerstone of your journey.
- The gym stops being a burden and becomes your training ground.
- Budgeting shifts from restrictive to empowering.
- Journaling evolves from “extra work” into a trusted confidant.
The longer you maintain the connection, the more the practice transforms into a reliable ally who equips you for bigger quests ahead.
Field Examples: NPC Practices in Action
Here are three of the most common NPCs you’ll meet on your journey, shown through the UPOR cycle.
Note that these understandings, practices, outcomes, and relationships (UPORs) are just some ways to interact with each NPC. I expect you will develop UPORs of your own with each of them.
1. The Fitness Trainer (Exercise)
- Understanding → Recognize that exercise isn’t just about muscles; it fuels energy, resilience, confidence, and even mood.
- Practice → Show up at the gym, go for a walk, or do bodyweight movements. Small, consistent interactions build rapport with the Trainer.
- Outcome → Rewards include increased stamina, better health, sharper focus, and a sense of accomplishment.
- Relationship → Over time, workouts stop feeling like chores and become your training ground. The Fitness Trainer evolves into a steadfast ally, always ready to prepare you for tougher quests.
2. The Treasurer (Budgeting)
- Understanding → See budgeting not as restriction but as control, freedom, and foresight—your map to bigger adventures.
- Practice → Log expenses, set spending categories, or review accounts weekly. Treat these interactions like checking in at the clerk’s desk.
- Outcome → The Treasurer rewards you with treasure maps: reduced stress, financial security, and the resources to fund life’s sidequests and main quests.
- Relationship → With time, the Treasurer becomes more than a bean counter. They evolve into a trusted strategist, helping you unlock wealth and freedom for long-term missions.
3. The Sage (Prayer or Reflection)
- Understanding → Recognize that reflection and prayer provide clarity, grounding, and a connection to something greater than yourself.
- Practice → Even a short daily moment—two minutes of silence, journaling a single thought, or saying a simple prayer—counts as a conversation with the Sage.
- Outcome → The Sage grants wisdom, perspective, and inner calm, often in ways that seem subtle but guide major decisions.
- Relationship → Over time, the Sage becomes more than a quiet presence; they evolve into your mentor and compass, aligning your journey with purpose and deeper meaning.
Final Note
Each practice follows the UPOR cycle. By understanding its true nature, engaging consistently, receiving its rewards, and nurturing and evolving the relationship, you turn everyday encounters into reliable NPCs who equip you for the path ahead.
Carry this knowledge, Adventurer, and treat your practices as more than chores. They are characters on your quest.