“In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.”

― Miyamoto Musashi, Book of Five Rings

Life was teetering on the edge of greatness… or total chaos.

In order to get what you want out of the game of life, you must be able to see clearly. 

When you’re in the fog of war, it’s hard not to get tunnel vision and miss the bigger picture. Some people can’t see the trees for the forest…others can’t see the forest for the trees. I’m more of the latter.

Life had gotten ridiculously busy…in a good way (with a little [lot of] pain sprinkled in).

On May 10, 2016, Operation Dust Line was released as Year 1, Season 2 in Rainbow Six: Siege.

It really was a truly memorable and game changing  experience for players. Just when you thought you had seen it all in this revolutionary FPS, Ubisoft came out with a META breaking update that changed the entire dynamic of the game…as it does virtually every season, but this season would introduce some of the most powerful (and controversial) operators ever.

From the new map, Border, to the introduction of two new Navy Seal operators, Blackbeard and Valkyrie, Operation Dust Line was an incredible addition to the ever-growing world of Rainbow Six Siege.

At the time, the pain of a catastrophic knee injury had all but subsided. It was the weirdest thing…

I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that something was terribly wrong. I could perform most movements now without feeling like the earth was trying to eject me, but anything athletic would cause an instant face-plant, including training in stand-up.

As someone who was approaching 30 with only two amateur mixed martial arts fights under his belt and a completely torn ACL, partial MCL tear, and meniscus damage, my future as a competitor in combat sports was looking rather bleak…and that really was the least of my problems.

I had no idea where to go from here. All of my best laid plans had been blown to smithereens, and I had seemingly lost the bet I had taken on myself, walking away from a teaching career to pursue my dreams.

After lots and lots of heart-to-heart talks with my coach, he suggested that I look at things a little differently. He was like, “You’ve been out with injury before, and you’re an amazing teacher…Why not focus on coaching the younger guys while you figure out how to build your personal training business online?”.

I had no idea what that even looked like, or where to even start. Coaching fighters, both amateur and professional, that had way more experience than me seemed a little out there, but he was right. It was one of the most rewarding (and emotional) rides of my life.

Taking on new 1-on-1 personal training clients was a no-go at the time, either. I had shifted from sport specific MMA training to strength. Squats, deadlifts, and most other exercises didn’t bother me, and I understood early on that with an impending ACL surgery, the best thing you can do is get as strong as possible, so that’s what I did. 

Ironically, this got me in the NEW best shape of my life.

Lastly, I had no idea where to even begin with building a website, creating courses, or selling my services online, but what else was I going to do? I had a business to run, dreams to achieve, and a wife (and 3 fur babies) to provide for!

Despite all of it, I was really high on life at the time, especially with the new juicy Siege content. Playing deep into the night with my friends as we refigured out the game was something that kept me going through this time period, where I had no idea what the next move was.

The happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction all came down to one thing, a change in perspective. 

Part of the allure of the fighter lifestyle was the normalcy of playing video games during necessary rest periods for both physical and mental coping reasons of the stress of the sport. I relished all the opportunities that came my way, perhaps none more so than uninterrupted Rainbow Six action with friends.

In the in between times, I would write and figure out how to run a website. It was super convenient and kept me from going crazy wanting to hop around, shadow box, and train with my teammates. 

I know…some folks call it tough. 

Some folks call it stupid. 

Some folks call it stubborn. 

For me, it’s the need to make a difference, and at the time that’s where I was making the most difference. It was a true golden age of my life that I only recognized after the fact.

The new season brought new life to the game. My life felt like a parallel to this concept. This was a trend that would continue for years to come. Some seasons took longer than others to extract the lesson from it, but this one was perhaps the most powerful.

I had just gone through a dark, scary season of my life with hidden dangers around every corner. Now, the dust from that train wreck was starting to settle, and I started to have visions of where life was heading even though it wasn’t exactly crystal clear.

Not that I need to explain myself, but…

Some people need something like a hardcore, competitive, tactical shooter to turn their brain off and clear their mind from their own bullshit long enough for things to percolate so you can get out of your own head and work through what you’re feeling. Only me? Right…

Was I escaping the stress of a brutal knee injury, being an almost 30, two-fight amateur mma fighter/personal trainer turned, ”professional gamer”, and figuring out how in the hell I was going to make enough money to support it all??? Yes.

However, everyone escapes in their own way. You do too, so stop acting like you’re better than everyone (talking almost exclusively to my old self here).

That rant being said…Border introduced a unique balance between close-quarters combat and long-range engagements, making it an ideal map for strategic play. The mix of tight corridors and open areas also made it the perfect playground for teams to coordinate and come up with innovative tactics to take down their opponents.

There was lots of soft destruction, so the gunners really used to run wild back in its heyday, before it ultimately got reworked and other operators would release to change the game in their own ways.

The two new operators that were introduced with Operation Dust Line also provided plenty of excitement (and online backlash). Blackbeard was a tough, no-nonsense operator who could lock down long angles and important rotations. His shield made him a formidable opponent that was impossible to deal with in a heads-up fight, and allowed him to leave the battlefield unscathed with his 800 HP shield.

It would literally take magazine(s) from almost every gun to break the face-shield, and all he needed was one bullet to get the job done. He was a god at his job of locking down angles, especially on windows. 

While he eventually got nerfed into the ground for a long time afterwards before being completely remastered,…this is the concept that will do you well for ALL GUNFIGHTS to come!

If someone knows where you are and is looking in your direction, think twice about taking the heads up gunfight. I’m honored to have experienced THAT Blackbeard. The ONLY WAY to counter was to flank him or have a gnarly angle setup for body shots that he’s not expecting.

Valkyrie, on the other hand, was an operator who could survey the entire map with her cameras, and throw them outside without losing signal at this time. This gave her and her team an advantage in knowing where their opponents were and how to counter them. 

The outside of the map had always belonged to the attackers until her Black Eye cameras gave critical intel to be able to perform successful run outs and get real time info to eliminate pesky, unsuspecting attackers.

Valkyrie cameras thrown on the inside of the map gives the defenders even more intel to set up ambushes from any direction, above and below. Some argue that her cameras losing signal on the outside after so many seconds is actually a buff, because the intel gathered from cameras is more beneficial and actionable for the entire team instead of just a duo looking for cheap, early kills that puts them out of position or in the ground in the opening seconds.

All in all, Operation Dust Line was a great addition to Rainbow Six Siege and it provided the player base with plenty of cool new things to enjoy. With the introduction of the new map, operators, and other updates, Operation Dust Line gave gamers the chance to experience something fresh and innovative.

Perspective is everything in life. Oftentimes, you can’t change a situation or change what happened…but you can change the way you are looking at it. Siege is no different.

K/D ratio is the life blood of toxic gamers everywhere. It’s true, many people place their entire value on that number (or a rank) that they lose sight of why they even started playing the game. Instead of knowing how to deal with it, they project themselves across the internet to talk shit. In my teenage years, I was angsty myself, so I know how it is. Especially when it means their entire value and self-worth to them. I was there, and I’ve got to tell you…

Skill-wise, I’ve fallen off. I do miss shots from time to time. I do make bad decisions from time to time. 

However…Luckily K/D has little to do with actually winning in Siege. The important numbers don’t always show up on the scoreboard. Oftentimes, you can play a thankless role, do it right 99 times out of 100, and mess up one time with a poor looking K/D…and here come the jackasses telling you how bad you suck.

I get it. I’m not getting any younger and sometimes I do miss shots that make you want to facepalm, but knowledge can compensate for what’s lacking in physical capabilities, and you know it! It will bring you up to speed on the game faster than anything else

You want to do good. You want to contribute to the team in meaningful ways…and maybe, just maybe you’re the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be…but that’s a big bill for anyone to fill, even Bret “The Hitman” Hart himself.

Why? No knock on the man or the character. Technique will get you a long way down the road without having to be the absolute most gifted person to ever play the game. He’s the excellence of execution, one of the best “technical” wrestlers of all time, but at the end of the day, Father Time comes for us all.

I wholeheartedly believe you have to believe you’re the best in a competitive setting, Siege included…no matter age. Just figured it needed to be said 🙂. There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition, itself. 

Most people haven’t been taught how to compete. They haven’t been taught how to win, and they most certainly haven’t been taught how to lose with dignity and grace. It’s crucial to learning and progress. Can it be brutal? Yes. So can life, but it’s where you live life to the fullest!

Training in MMA, I didn’t care as a white belt what color the belt was, I was coming for them. Didn’t matter the experience, size difference, etc. Again, luckily I had people who had my best interest on my side at the time. The truth was, I was sorely missing that aspect. Siege filled the void, and I was able to keep up with my friends from home. That wouldn’t last forever either.

The “Hitman” character inspired many of my later actions even though maybe I didn’t root for him at the time…Hell, I even stopped watching professional wrestling (excuse me, sports entertainment) for a time for the real thing in MMA, because I was “too hardcore” for the “fake” stuff. I’ve since really gained an appreciation for the art.

Now, I see the beauty in it…It was because of his finishing move that I wanted to be “sharpshooter” in the first place…but enough of that aside. Corny joke, I know, but chill. I’m sorry the kids say, “Cringe” these days. That’s cringe, just saying.

Sorry, not sorry. Anyway…

There's nothing wrong with being on the pursuit of greatness, and you're going to need the fuel to keep going when the fog sets in!

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