Why are we so afraid of the unknown?
Our whole life is nothing but a series of unknown circumstances. We sit and ponder and try to prepare ourselves for the rest of our lives when the reality is: We have no idea what will happen next! Nothing that you do can ever truly prepare you for the days to come. Now, as pessimistic as that sounds-- just stick with me for a second.
When I say that nothing can prepare us I do not mean that all hope is lost and you should give up now just because some girl on the internet told you to do so. In fact-- please do not do that because I have a feeling my phone, email, and Facebook message board would become flooded with messages from disgruntled parents and guardians! Instead, I want to convey a very simple message: Live life for today. Be aware of the future, but do not solely live your life for it. Every day is a new opportunity to grow and learn and my fear is that we will miss those opportunities because it doesn't fit into our "timeline."
I was one that lived by my timeline. I expected to be engaged by the age of 22-ish, participating in my college graduation, preparing for the rest of my life which included a solid career, a mortgage, and all of the other "typical" timeline belongings. Well, here I am: still in school for who knows how long, not engaged (or in a relationship for that matter), and I just moved back home while saving money for the adventure of a lifetime (which I can't wait to share at a later date). To some this sounds like a failed attempt at "adulting", but to others such as myself, this sounds like the beginning to a very long and exciting story!
There is nothing wrong with having a timeline. In fact, that is how most of us came into existence. Our parents had a timeline to which they followed and created us! Boom. It worked once-- so "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I should apologize for that lapse of poor grammar, but I did so to make a point. Our system isn't broken or flawed per say, but it is not the only option. When are we going to start taking risks outside of our comfort zones and timelines?
Fear is a driving force. Think about a time that you were in a situation that caused you to run faster than ever before in order to not be caught by something chasing you. Think of a time that when looking back, you were so impressed by the way you handled a situation out of pure fear and the presence of adrenaline. What if we started allowing that fear to push us in positive ways instead of just a negative response to stress or pressure? Allow it to push us to our limit, then exceed that just to find the reward on the other side. Stop running, stare it dead in the face and show it who is the boss!You are given this one incredibly beautiful life, but to explore all of its potential you have to be willing to take strides for it. You have to be willing to step over the line of comfortability and be temporarily uncomfortable in order to see what is on the other side. You have to live for this moment in order to appreciate the next.
If you take nothing else from this jumbled word dump, please hear this. I find it so important to do things that scare you. Life is unknown-- stop letting that get in the way of an immeasurable amount of personal growth. Challenge yourself to try one new and "scary" thing at least once a week. Try a new restaurant, cut your hair, go on an unexpected road trip and see where you end up. Every small step that you take will only lead to bigger and better ones in the future. Stop worrying and live. If you don't start now you may run out of time.
There is beauty in the unknown-- let yourself experience it!
And may you always do what you are afraid to do!
