Running From What

“I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened”

Mark Twain

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Why do we run? Why do we hide? Why do we allow irrational and unrealistic fears dictate our thoughts and actions?

It is widely recognised that we are the creators of our reality. That our thoughts and actions are a powerful magnet and that if we wish to change the way our lives look, we must first change the way we think and act.

Yet, still we run.

Still we hide.

Why.

As Mark Twain states above, the perceived negative outcome that manifests as fear, very rarely actually occurs. What is most likely to happen is a fleeting moment of discomfort, followed by a euphoric sense of accomplishment and growth!

A step outside of the comfort zone is far more likely to yield valuable personal expansion than the horrors that we manage to dream up in less than half a second prior to taking action.

So why do you think this is? Why do you think we listen to this voice, as though it is our lord and liege?

I believe, that it is because we play a short game. Those of us afraid to act on our truest truth are afraid of the now, driven by a desire to maintain the status quo, unwilling to take a hit on the chin in exchange for an opportunity to land the winning blow. Life punches hard and fast, so if you lower you’re guard you’re going to get hit. But if you don’t, you’ll never be able to hit back.

For years now I have been running from the inevitable. Running from short-game-pain in exchange for long-game-gain and the worst part; the short game pain doesnt go anywhere. You cant outrun it or beat it into submission, it just sits patiently in the corner, biding its time until either; you get your shit together and confront it or it gets fed up with your pansy ass ways and decides you need to learn a lesson (believe it or not, its on your side in the long game).

So how to we shake off that short game and step up to the big league? How do we learn to sacrifice our immediate comfort in exchange for the future that we tell ourselves we deserve or desire?

Well… I’m asking you! What do you think we can do to overcome this self sabotage? Keeping in mind that we are all different and that we all have different triggers, do you believe that there is a method that can be adopted to by all, or is this hurdle one that must be individually tackled?

Since I am the instigator of this discussion, here are my thoughts.

Method 1: Keep Quality Company. Monkey see, monkey do. If you surround yourself with people who are constantly stepping outside of their comfort zone and playing the long game, you will be much more likely to do so yourself. Period. As pack animals, we are heavily influenced by those that we are closest to on a daily basis.

Method 2: Ask for help. Those who ask are the first to receive. Do not be afraid to ask people for help or advice, sometimes simply accepting the fact that you need help or support is all it takes to trigger the courage to act.

Method 3: Break it down. Often times the perceived negatives can be washed away and discounted under extreme scrutiny. Sit down with a pen and paper and draw up 2 columns; Pros (+) and Cons (-). Take 5-10 minutes to brainstorm as many of the possible outcomes of your actions as you can and categorise them as a pro or a con. It usually only takes a few minutes to discover that the pros outweigh the cons. If you’re still not convinced, break down each and every negative and determine what would have to happen for it to occur and what the implication said occurrence truly means. Once again, often times the bad isnt actually all that bad.

Method 4: Have FAITH. I speak about this quite a lot because honestly I am a huge believer! Things in life are rarely as terrible as they may seem at the time. Have faith in your natural ability to make it work, because you WILL. One way or another you WILL make it work because you’re human and that in itself makes you a natural born genius. Period.

If you want to live your ideal life, you have to be prepared to do things that may feel wrong or uncomfortable at the time. You have to trust in your natural ability to do what is necessary and thus be the creator of your destiny.

Play the long game.