My Next Breath: A Memoir

Cheat codes represent the mental frameworks and survival mantras that emerged in Renner’s consciousness during his life-threatening crisis. These psychological tools functioned as instant access to essential truths that helped him navigate the overwhelming physical and emotional trauma of being crushed by the snowcat. Renner borrowed this terminology from video gaming, where cheat codes provide players with shortcuts or special abilities to overcome difficult challenges. In the context of his survival experience, these cheat codes included mantras like “THE ONLY OBSTACLE IN YOUR WAY IS YOU” and the understanding that “stress is an earthly ego experience, fear-fueled and useless” (38). These mental shortcuts bypassed rational thought processes and provided immediate, actionable guidance when conventional thinking was impossible due to pain and trauma.

“Clarity of intention” represents Renner’s concept of focused, purposeful decision-making that eliminates confusion and self-sabotage. He describes this mental state as the ability to identify exactly what one wants to achieve, and then direct all energy toward that specific goal without distraction or doubt. Renner argues that most people fail to accomplish their objectives because they lack this fundamental clarity, comparing unfocused individuals to electrons bouncing randomly around atomic nuclei rather than following a determined path.