Harder, oh yeah harder, I loooove it harder

 “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that 

they are difficult."-Seneca

It is all a part of our personal views that we give a greater level of difficulty to the task before us in life. It is the unknown that is our enemy, not the task or purpose. We increase our dread by making things seem harder then they are. Think about learning to swim, that standing on the end of the pool looking at the water. You think about all the horrible things that could happen. Yet now, those of you that know how to swim most likely do not give these fears a passing thought. 

We carry this fear of our own ignorance into a large portion of our life. It is not the fear of nothing that scares most people, most people would rather have nothing happen to them all the time. It is the contradiction of being human. We are very industrious as a species. Yet if you talk to people they aspire to do nothing. They talk about doing nothing when they retire, or vacation. Teenagers, if left to their devices, are more then happy to do nothing. 

I do not think this is because we as species are completely lazy. I think the truth is in our inability to understand the real reason we need to dig deep for our motivation. It is the same reason why we put up with shitty jobs, shitty bosses, subpar relationships, and tolerate shitty behavior in the people we know. It is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of change. We are terrified as a people to accept things that might be better for us, strictly on the basis of them being different. The Devil you know right?

We look to the greener grass across the fence, but we do not want to take the steps to go over the fence. First days are times of anxiety for most. They are not times of wonder, or the joy of exploration. Going back to that first day of school, what do you remember most? The fear of leaving home? The fear of not being accepted? How would you get by? What will you have to do? Routine is shattered and your confidence is shaken.

Why can we not look at the unknown like a new swaddled babe. We roll over to look at the world in a different way. We crawl to the top of the stairs with no knowledge of fear, just to see if we can make it. Why do we let the fear of change disrupt us so much? Why do we let complacency take such heavy root in our life?

I am guessing the lesson is finding the balance. Understanding what works, and what might work better? Learning from and honoring our past, while looking for a better and brighter future? Live, love, and laugh in the now, like no one is watching, but do the right thing like everyone is watching. Fear is okay if you can manage the courage to face it. Live your own life, regardless of how others feel you should live it. Look over the edge and ever so often jump off it. Take a chance on life, or why bother living it. You are responsible for your own happiness.