Anything we do one time is not going to be done great. We have to keep doing things over and over, and then before you know it, it’s become something easy.

The problem arises when we think about what we want to change, do, or be, and fear barges in to start the doubts. Even though we didn’t welcome fear, there it is, making trouble and keeping us stuck. We can think, “Am I doing the right thing? I can’t do this. It’s too hard. What if this happens? How can I do this by myself?” Oh, the problems that fear causes!

How did fear get into our lives if we didn’t want it there? Because we didn’t put it there. Someone else did. We took on the fear of our caretakers, siblings, friends, co-workers, etc. They happily shared their fears with us to release their burden of being the only one carrying it around. They thought they were being generous and responsible by giving us their fears and insecurities. They wanted to protect us. But was it for protection or control?

The hardest part about getting to the easy stuff is doing the action to get there.

NHS Forum states in their article Ten Ways to Fight Your Fears,  “Avoiding fears only makes them worse. But, gradually exposing yourself to the thing you’re scared of can help you maintain control and overcome your fear.”

That means we need to do the things we think we can’t do. It sounds easy, I know, but sometimes it’s more complicated than it sounds. That’s why many of us give up.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the expression, “It’s always dark before the light.” It means that what we don’t know or don’t do won’t get better until we face it and deal with it, and then the light will shine. Let’s get out of the dark.

If you think about the people who have succeeded, whether it’s professional athletes, actors, musicians, business people, doctors, or anyone who has found success in their calling, doing what they want to do, they all started at the beginning. They took a chance on themselves, knowing they had what it takes to go from novice to expert with hard work. They all learned through experience and stuck with it, no matter what their present situation looked like. When we tackle the hard stuff now, we set our lives up to live more effortlessly in the future.

The first step to getting to what is easy always takes place in our minds. When we first see ourselves having or doing the thing, then we can take action to make it so. Athletes do it all the time when they visualize themselves attaining a goal. They see themselves shooting the basket or making the putt before they ever get on the court or green. We can do the same thing with our lives.

After you see yourself doing the thing in your mind, take action. Do something that may be hard to do – and it may be at first. What we think about becomes real. So, if you’re optimistic and believe you can have, be, or do whatever you would like, you will achieve that. It does take hard work and discipline. I know it’s tough to do, especially in the world we live in today, being exposed to the I want it now mindset.

When we do what is hard, like doing a 21-day news fast (a book I read suggested that), the reward is having an easier time dealing with life’s heaviness and pessimism. Believe it or not, the news carries more negativity than positivity. I don’t know how journalists or broadcasters can live a happy life unless they have some secret on how to turn off their minds to all the negative stuff they deal with at work. You have to be a certain kind of person for that.  Heck, maybe some don’t care. Either way, you have to be pretty tough to combat all that stuff.  I know we need to know what’s happening in the world; just don’t make it too concentrated in one day. Like getting some sun: a little is good, but too much can cause an issue over time.

Taking the easy way out usually comes back to haunt us. If we don’t take care of our bodies and abuse them, eventually, our bodies will break down, and we’ll be in ill health. But if we do what is hard, like taking time to exercise and eat healthier, we’ll feel better. Let’s face it: Life is a lot easier when you can walk up and down the steps without breathing heavily or dealing with a debilitating disease.

The bottom line is that in order to live that extraordinary life we crave, we have to put in the work to get there. And generally speaking, we always feel better when we do that. I’ve heard some jest about walking away from a hard life to live on a beach and drink pina coladas all day. That would get old and not give us much substance after a short while. I believe it’s in our nature to keep moving forward and striving for something better.

We deserve a happy, prosperous life, and we can achieve it by taking part in the process. The driver sees much more than the backseat passenger snoozing. Wake up! There’s a life to live out there!

Thank you for reading, and if you have a comment, I’d love to hear it.

To an easier life,

Francesca

Created by a human for humans.

 

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