As I was scrolling through gaming forums last week, I noticed something fascinating - players weren't just discussing Civilization VII's gameplay mechanics, but having genuine conversations about what constitutes true progress in civilization building. This got me thinking about how we measure wealth and success, both in games and real life. Let me share an experience that completely changed my perspective on this.
Last month, I was playing Civilization VII and reached what should have been the Modern Age around 3 AM on a Tuesday. I'd been building toward this moment for weeks, carefully managing resources and planning my civilization's trajectory. But when I finally got there, something felt off. The game simply stops at Yuri Gagarin's 1961 space flight, with tanks and fighter planes as the most advanced military units. There's no Information Age, no contemporary era - it's like history just decided to take an early retirement. This struck me as particularly odd because in my own life, I've been working toward what I call "Fortune Maya" - that sweet spot where opportunity, preparation, and timing converge to create genuine wealth and success.
The parallel between the game's limitations and real-world thinking became increasingly apparent. Civilization VII's developers apparently made a conscious decision to cut content because, let's be honest, many players never finish their campaigns anyway. The later stages often turn into what one designer famously called "unbearable slogs." But here's the thing - removing an entire historical period doesn't solve the fundamental problem, both in gaming and in our approach to wealth building. I've seen this same pattern in my consulting work with entrepreneurs. They'll focus so heavily on the initial growth phases that they completely neglect planning for what comes after reaching certain milestones. It's like building an elaborate strategy to reach the Industrial Revolution only to realize you forgot to invent electricity.
What's particularly interesting is how this relates to unlocking what I've come to call the secrets of Fortune Maya. In my experience working with over 47 successful entrepreneurs, the ones who achieve lasting wealth don't just stop at their first major success - they continuously evolve their strategies. They understand that progress isn't linear and that sometimes the most valuable opportunities emerge in what seems like transitional periods. The game's decision to end at the 1960s misses the most transformative era in human history - the digital revolution that created approximately $15 trillion in new wealth. That's like mapping out a road trip from New York to California but stopping at Nebraska because the drive gets boring.
I remember working with a tech startup founder named Sarah who'd built her company to $2 million in annual revenue but felt completely stuck. Her situation reminded me of those Civilization games where you've optimized all your early-game strategies but haven't planned for the next phase. She was operating with what I'd call a "pre-Information Age" mindset - focusing on traditional business metrics while missing the digital transformation happening right in her industry. We worked together to implement what I've outlined in my comprehensive guide to wealth and success, specifically focusing on adapting to continuous innovation rather than treating success as a destination.
The solution isn't to avoid later stages because they're complicated, but to redesign our approach to make them more engaging and sustainable. In gaming terms, this means better mechanics for the modern era. In life terms, it means developing systems that make ongoing success feel less like a grind and more like an exciting evolution. I've found that implementing what I call the "Fortune Maya framework" - which emphasizes adaptability, continuous learning, and systems thinking - can transform how we approach long-term wealth building. It's about recognizing that the rules change as you progress, and the strategies that got you to your first million might not get you to your tenth.
There's a valuable lesson here about how we conceptualize progress. Civilization VII's approach of simply cutting content when things get complicated reflects a broader cultural tendency to seek quick fixes rather than addressing underlying design issues. In my fifteen years of studying wealth creation, I've observed that the most successful individuals and organizations embrace complexity rather than avoiding it. They understand that true mastery comes from navigating the challenging later stages, not just optimizing the early game. The secrets of Fortune Maya aren't about finding shortcuts, but about developing the resilience and adaptability to thrive through all phases of growth, even when the terrain gets difficult.
What's particularly compelling about this perspective is how it contrasts with conventional wealth-building advice. Most financial gurus will give you rigid formulas and predictable pathways, but real wealth creation often happens in those messy, undefined spaces between established eras. The digital revolution didn't emerge from perfecting industrial-age thinking, but from fundamentally reimagining what was possible. Similarly, the next wave of wealth opportunities won't come from simply doing what worked in the past, but from understanding the transitions between eras and positioning yourself at the forefront of change. That's the real secret the Fortune Maya framework reveals - success isn't about reaching a destination, but about mastering the art of continuous evolution.
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