One of the things that has really helped me to grow as a person is my policy of doing something uncomfortable each day.
Why would I suggest this? I think that we have a natural tendency to not challenge ourselves and the moment we start becoming complacent, the moment we start dying. As an old German proverb goes “Who is not busy being born is busy dying.”
I’ll give you an example of something to inspire you. I shared that I like playing Strike Force, and I have been part of an alliance for almost two years. I was invited to another alliance and I thought about it and accepted. I will miss my friends from my current alliance, but it allows me to grow and that is what I want my character in that game to do. My current team is holding me back, and you have to ultimately do in life what is best for you and others.
This may be an easy decision for others, but it was not easy for me. I struggled with it because my nature is about being loyal. I stuck with people who didn’t deserve my loyalty because of their behavior toward me in the past. You have to let toxic people go and that is easy to do with some people and harder to do with others. Ultimately though you will find people in your life who believe in you and support you and then cherish those people.
Another example. I had overextended my arm in the past and so it was a little sore when I fully extended it. I push myself each day to do exercises that are painful but increase my arm strength and dexterity to what it was. Now I am almost normal and worth the discomfort to be back to normal.
It is easy to get rigid in life and limit the information, experiences, thoughts, and imagination. However, we can be flexible, imagine, and have an open heart and mind that creates all of the beautiful and meaningful experiences in our lives. There is a balance. You should protect yourself from people who don’t care for you, and be open to people who do care for you.
If you feel unhappy in life, it’s probably because you have become rigid about something. What if you tried being open to something as a change? Would it kill you?