Uncharted

It's Monday again!

Last week I spent a lot of time on the lake fishing with my dad and grandfather. Since our vacation spot was new, we had no idea what the lake had in store (asides the top-down view we glimpsed from google maps). As we approached the small channel which connected our lake with another, we noticed the water levels thin out, our small boat skimming above the weeds. And then we saw it. A dark narrow tunnel, ceiling just feet above the water... our final obstacle.

Will we fit? Will the motor hit the bottom? If we get stuck who would come and save us?

Ducking our heads low, our small rowboat crawled through the cavern, none of us knowing what was on the other side. As light from the outside poured-in, we glided through the exit, heads held high to take in the new surroundings. A smaller and calmer lake spread out before us and wow, the fishing was just as good if not better there!

Life is full of forks-in-the-road. Because we have free will to choose WHAT we do and HOW we will do it -- the power to shape our own destiny lies in our hands. Sometimes fear of the unknown will hold us back from accomplishing something great... or... maybe experiencing something new. Billions of people go on about their lives stuck in the doldrums, always wishing but never doing.

Fear is the number one killer of dreams.

So what can we do to get out of the rut? Why do I settle for average when a little elbow grease is all that's needed to reach that next stage?

Like most phobia's, fear can cripple, and one of the best antidotes is failure. Hmm? Failure? But I don't want that!

Failure is a part of life, and though we should never try to purposefully fail, it will come to you. One of the amazing things about humanity is we are constantly evolving and learning from our past (hopefully). We have the ability as "thinking man" to take our past and use the lessons of old to better ourselves today.

All in all, we must acknowledge the fear as what it is, and then drive through it, head-on. Exposure to pain and loss is often the only way to achieve greatness. This is why a lot of people in the 21st Century are complacent: showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.

This afternoon I challenge you to picture the ideal you -- the you that you'd be proud of. Now look at the loops you may have to press through and go for it! Life is short, sometimes you have to go through the dark tunnel of unknown's in order to catch maximum fish.

Till next week!