Too often we are willing to settle for what is easy; we settle for the
expected, and we expect everything to be easy. We bemoan that life is tough and unforgiving when really we should be
embracing it. Life’s real gift is the
challenge that it presents.
We expect everything to be instant and handed to us on a silver platter,
but none of that is gratifying. We have
convinced ourselves that we can find happiness through the easy, but it’s not
sustainable. We seek short term
solutions to long term problems. We look
to fix the superficial and completely miss the deep underlying issue. The issue that is hard to face; the issue
that is hard to accept, the thing that we try to avoid because it scares us.
We numb ourselves in an attempt to avoid feeling bad or negative. We choose what is easy in an attempt to avoid
consequences. But if we numb ourselves
to avoid the bad we also numb ourselves to all the good as well.
We find it very easy to blame others, when really the answer is to look
at ourselves and realize we possess the power to fix our problems. People lack a belief in themselves leading
them to think that they aren’t good or strong enough to do things that are
difficult or challenging. But “worthiness
is a birthright.” We have to realize that “yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable
and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave
and worthy of love and belonging” –Brene Brown, Daring Greatly. We are
scared to admit our flaws and let them be seen. We are scared to leap with no guarantee of a safe landing. But happiness and success come from a blind belief
and desire. There is no straight line or
sure shot, in order to achieve your dreams you must first have a willingness to
try, and second, a willingness to fail but not give up. It's very scary to take the leap and you might have to fall hard at times, but the more you jump the closer you get to flying.
It’s easy to hate, hard to love. It’s easy to give up, hard to see things through. It’s easy to be numb, hard to feel. It’s easy to be quiet, hard to speak your
truth. It’s easy to be ignorant, hard to
learn. It’s easy to follow, hard to pave
your own path.
Life should be lived with passion; with a belief in oneself to be able
to do anything that can be dreamed. One that is filled with hope and a thirst
for something greater; filled with love for ourselves and others. There is no easy way to happiness, to
love. It takes work, it takes time, and
then it takes more work and more time. It’s an endless choice, a hard choice, but in the end it’s
the choice that leads to connection, happiness, and love. So shouldn’t it be the easy choice?
