Veteran. Hard Core. Legendary. Epic.
These are all difficulties that we ratchet up to challenge ourselves in game, but in real life we wuss out to the challenge of increasing the chance of failure. We wuss out hard. Failure will happen to you just like death and taxes. I know most self-help gurus won’t tell you that. They’d rather puff you up with kind words and affirmations.
These are vital to staying sane and positive in this world. Don’t get me wrong; I love to affirm people. But we spend a lot of time and energy safeguarding ourselves against that possibility we live rather mundane lives. We become content with plateauing at mediocrity and never rise from it, driven by the interplay of two concerns: Fear and Comfort.
We chase comfort as a means to end fear and we avoid fear to maximize comfort. It’s a pretty clean, vicious cycle, always reinforcing itself. Failure on any level threatens the balance that you have achieved in your life. Fear of failure stops you from sticking your neck out too far because if you risk too much you will lose it. Or, if you fear losing your comfort, doing something hard and grueling teaches you the easy way is better. It doesn’t hurt.
I guarantee you your heroes and role models aren’t there because of the comfort they achieved in their lives. Frodo could have just stayed home. Batman could have just gone to therapy. But, they wouldn’t be your heroes if they had, and you aren’t going to achieve much of anything if you just sit at home, are you?
A couple of sandy guys claim that Fear is the mind killer. I fully agree. Fear of anything can prevent you from actually achieving your potential. But comfort is also something that kills the mind as well. We stay away from unpleasant feelings, pain, and rough times, and are attracted to the experiences that are nice, comforting, relaxing, and smell and taste dandy too. The result is a cheap, shallow, fast food quality life experience if you chase after the golden standard of comfort.
There is hope for us though. I see it in every amusement park on the map. Roller coasters are a testament to the human urge to feel something deep. You step on a roller coaster expecting to to be tossed, turned, and frightened. You step off the ride with a deep joy, a zest of courage, and that primal urge to fight or fuck something.
We crave experiences like this as a human species, but are too cowardly to do the same to ourselves in real life. Roller coasters are video games without the controller. They are structured events with an edge of fear, anticipation, and thrills. And after we’re done with it, the rush resonates in us.
That’s what I want for you in your play time and in real life, something that takes you out of your comfort zone that is going to help you in the long run. You might not know how to do that, or where to start. Take the first step and e-mail me justin@pixelatedgeek.com. I promise to do my best to help you sort out your life and come up with a plan to help you achieve the very best you can. But, the first step is stepping out of your comfort zone and having the faith in yourself.
Do that now. Or feel free to be a comfortable coward for the rest of your life.
Agape,
Justin
Questions, Comments, Concerns? I would love to hear them, please e-mail me at justin@pixelatedgeek.com or follow and ask me on Twitter @Justin_Dean.