Intro

Warriors. Mages. Bards. Priests.

These are the classes I believe people typically fit into. Warriors are physically adept. Mages are intellectuals, with high technical ability. Bards are theatrical, bringing joy and energy to those around them. Priests are guided by strong spiritual or religious values.

Most people are a mix of these archetypes but tend to favor one. While you could argue there are more classes, I see these as the fundamentals. I want to focus on the classes I most align with and how this shapes my decision-making.

Class:Warrior

I’ve always admired physicality. I’m not necessarily someone that looks strong (being around 5’6 and smaller framed) - however growing up watching Naruto, Bleach and other shonen shows. Being able to push and exert yourself always appealed to me.

I used to go to the gym 5 times a week; I tracked my macros and protein intake. I knew (and still know) my all-time PRs — my max bench, squat, deadlift and my best 5km run time.

This later translated to my love of boxing: the art of hitting without getting hit, the head movement, the different types of guards, space control, cadence, and rhythm. The thrill that I felt to have full autonomy in what felt like every inch of fibre and muscle I had within my body, to make people miss by a fraction of a hair, or to place shots with pinpoint speed and precision.

What I love about physicality is that performance/ability isn’t just determined by how much you can lift or the size of your frame. I suit being someone who is slim, quick, nimble, with good dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

Class:Mage

As I’ve put more focus into coding and since my day job is within the MSP space. I have encountered my fair share of ‘wizards’. People that are able to fix and spot almost any problem, they’re able to plan and lead projects, able to code and scale their own apps, proficient in different coding languages, manage infrastructure for hundreds or thousands of end users.

I’ve only started appreciating the effort and grind required to be intellectually competent. I wouldn’t consider myself dumb, however I felt that I haven’t done myself justice - hence my recent efforts in studying and reading more.

Subclass:Battle Mage

I feel most people are predisposed to be a certain way. Usually, you can tell what type of person someone will become. However, I’ve always felt that I slotted awkwardly, bouncing and wedging between potentials - I’m well rounded and good at everything, however I’ve never excelled at anything.

Even though I’m not bad in any of these categories. I’m not exactly a super athlete, I’m not exactly a genius or really studious, and I’m not really outspoken and charismatic.

One of the cooler classes that I would come across playing RPGs back when I was younger, would be battle mages. They weren’t as strong or physically imposing as warriors, and they weren’t as intellectual or magically gifted as mages. However they’ve mashed their circumstances into some sort of hybrid.

What I sometimes consider a weakness also gives me the opportunity to be great in my own right. I can cover a larger area of competency. Wizards are known to be socially reclusive and physically weak. Warriors are known to be intellectually stunted and simple. I can ideally cover both these weaknesses.

The problem is that I have to work twice as hard to get the same results in a certain area as someone naturally gifted, I have to study more, I have to build more, I have to run more, I have to fight more.

I’ll likely never reach the level of being an ‘Arch Mage’ intellectually, or be a ‘Grand Warrior’ physically. If there was a ranking or level to being a ‘Battle Mage’ - I’m very much aware that I’m currently a novice or amateur.

However this is my ticket to greatness, it’s not about being the best globally, it’s about imposing my will through hardship and it leading to the best manifestation of my spirit.

For me, I believe that - To move forward is to be everything.