Those HARD Days? Bring It On Today [If We Want An EASIER Tomorrow]!

 

LAST CALL:  Any wishful thinking?  Oh yea, I want an EASY life, in fact, the EASIEST way possible.  Kinda DIY.  Kinda plug and play.  Kinda instant.  And all of that with the LEAST effort, LEAST cost, LEAST turnaround time. Whoahhhhh.  That's asking for the moon, the stars and the solar system!@#$%?  Please DON'T get me wrong.  I'm NOT haranguing anyone of us.  And seriously, by default, that does NOT seem to be our fault because as the experts tell us that by nature, the human brain REALLY likes to avoid those HARD things, HARD tasks, HARD goals.  I came across that 'COGNITIVE MISER' theory WHICH explains that from the beginning of the homo sapiens evolution, our brains have been trained to take that PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE💥💥💥

I got curious with that fact WHICH I doubted at first BUT the explanation was that we preferred that PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE because it was necessary for survival.  LIKE WHEN our ancestors lived in the wild, conserving energy was crucial.  They had to hunt and search for food, even fight rivals and escape predators.  One false move and the result could be as tragic as death.  Fast forward to our life today WHERE our world is a thousand times much safer [compared to those ancestral times].  BUT alas, our brain HASN'T changed much since those hunter-gatherer days.  Alas, we're still stuck in that Stone Age!@#$%? Does that theory hold water?  Me thinks that's air-tight💧💧💧

Does that explain as to WHY we humans often prefer that PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE, that with the LEAST efforts etc?  So, should we then blame that theory of evolution if we find it hard to get off the couch and go on with your next priority task?  OR during those times WHEN we procrastinate on those difficult tasks, putting it OFF for the next day, next week until it gets buried under the bushel of oblivion?  OR WHEN we find ourselves doing things we most like, sleeping, eating junk, scrolling Instagram, browsing through the online shopping portals to make those impulse purchases, or binge-watching in Netflix!@#$%?

There's this very debatable argument that we should put off doing the HARD things towards the later part because early on, the engine is cold and we need to gain that momentum.  Whewwww, tell that to the marines dude!@#$%?  Guess WHO OR WHAT is our biggest stumbling block here?  YES, it is our own self.  Deep inside, our favorite one-liners are:

• OH I'M JUST AFRAID TO START IT
• OH LET ME THINK ABOUT IT FIRST
• OH THAT TAKES UP TOO MUCH TIME
• OH I'M AFRAID I'M NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT NOW
• OH I'VE GOT TO GAIN STEAM & MOMENTUM FIRST

Our takeaway:  As that old cliche goes, IT'S TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC.  If that music may NOT be your favorite one OR it's NOT in your playlist BUT if your audio player CAN'T fast-forward from the 1st song to the 4th song [WHICH is your favorite], then, so be it, play up every song until you got to play your favorite 4th song.  SO HOW?  Would you rather do things the EASY way now and simply face the problem come next day?  C'mon dude, that train of thought seems skewed and slanted if NOT outright outrageous.  Think about it.  Here you are.  Just like a fully recharged smartphone battery, your strength is at 100%.  Would you want to tackle the HARD DAYS tomorrow instead of today?  THOSE HARD DAYS?  BRING IT ON TODAY [IF WE WANT AN EASIER TOMORROW]✅✅✅

Is Positivity Contagious Enough?

 

Is POSITIVITY CONTAGIOUS ENOUGH?  Absolutely yes it is!  YET, sometimes I do hear from some quarters as they seem to frown on POSITIVITY as they will claim someone looks and seems POSITIVE because he's driving a new car, because he recently got promoted at work, because they moved in to their new home, because he's awash with $$$$$$$.  From their perspective, I would tend to agree with them but I'll qualify my concurrence.  That POSITIVITY will be very fleeting and dependent only on the very moments those 'POSITIVE' elements come into your life.  Trust me, your promotion makes you feel WALK ON CLOUD 9 but only maybe the first few days and weeks, NOT 12 months down the road.  That new spanking car, 12 or more months after, that feeling of 'newness'  would have dissipated in thin air.  Your new home, oh yes that 'honeymoon' feeling will be over, count Year 2 onwards.  So, if you will cling to those, IS POSITIVITY CONTAGIOUS ENOUGH???

True, there is that SCIENCE of HAPPINESS BUT it should NOT be rocket science for us to figure out the genuine and longer-lasting factors that can farther stretch our HAPPINESS to an extent that it becomes genuine enough.  BTW, please be cautious WHEN it comes to POSITIVITY.  Not every shade of brightness can be deemed as genuinely POSITIVE.  I've known first hand people WHO were so extremely optimistic to bag the top prize of a BMW car if they can maximize entries in a contest sponsored by a Telco to encourage its customers to TOP-UP and TOP-UP over and over again!@#$%?

That is WHAT psychologists have coined as the FALSE POSITIVES.  It's true a POSITIVE mindset is essential for handling the problems and hurdles on our paths.  WHETHER at home, school OR work, it's true we are encouraged to be POSITIVE at all times.  You may even be telling others to stay POSITIVE and see the glass as half-full.  True, encouraging POSITIVITY is generally a nice gesture BUT at times it can cause more harm than good❌❌❌

Point is, POSITIVITY is an attitude that depends on the context.  Therefore, its misapplication may lead to FALSE POSITIVITY.  WHEN the situation warrants, there is simply nothing wrong with a positive outlook WHEN a situation warrants.  YET, there are times of genuine sadness OR distress that are simply NOT compatible with an overly optimistic attitude, especially, WHEN that attitude seems forced.  In short, that's misplaced optimism❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  WHAT's essential is for us to be able to distinguish genuine POSITIVITY from false POSITIVITY.  Some people are naturally optimistic and can see the POSITIVE aspects of any situation OR be inclined to use their NEGATIVE experiences as learning opportunities.  And the truth is, regardless if WHETHER we are more optimistic than others OR NOT, a genuine POSITIVE attitude can help us deal with difficulties.  WHETHER POSITIVITY is contagious enough, let us be sharp and incisive that such POSITIVITY is NOT misplaced😡😡😡

Why Are We So Locked-in With WORRYING?

 

Worries anyone?  Of course we do WORRY as and WHEN.  BUT experts tell us that WORRYING is a woeful misuse of the imagination.  YES it might seem as though running obsessively over our life challenges in our heads is, in some way, are indeed helpful BUT the reality is, it NEVER is.  Let's look at our very own selves.  HOW many times did we WORRY in life through the years.  Surely it's a lot, AS IN.  BUT think about it, after all your WORRYING, did the world actually change?  IF there were changes, I would dare to say that physically and/or mentally, I felt worse than prior to that WORRYING saga.  WHAT's our take here:  WORRYING has a role and a purpose and it is to make us LESS effective and MORE anxious.  NOT even less than that.  So, WHY ARE WE SO LOCKED-IN WITH WORRYING???

We may NOT an excessive WORRIER but perhaps, sometimes we unconsciously think that IF we WORRY enough, we can prevent bad thiings from happening???  BUT even medical experts advise us that WORRYING can effect our body in multiple ways that may surprise us laymen.  And WHEN WORRYING does become excessive, it can lead to feelings of high anxiety and may even cause us to be physically ill.  The $64 question is WHAT really happens with excessive WORRYING???

Studies have shown that excessive WORRYING may be the very vehicles for one to end up with high anxiety OR worse, even panic [even during waking hours].  Various studies had chronic WORRIERS as respondents confirm of feeling that sense of 'impending doom' OR even unrealistic fears that only exacerbated their WORRIES.  YES, we DON'T need to be psychologists to agree that WORRYING really interferes through our life, and even if the impact is superficial, the severity can be anything bad or even worse💧💧💧

Multiple studies showed that many people WHO excessively WORRY are so anxiety-ridden so much so that they end up seeking relief in those harmful lifestyle habits such as overeating, smoking OR worse, even alcohol and drugs.  And while anxiety is defined as a normal reaction to stress, ongoing anxiety though, may be the result of a disorder such as generalized anxiety disorder or worse, panic disorder❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  Please DON'T get me wrong.  Normal WORRYING is perfectly fine.  LIKE WHEN I first joined the jobmarket fray straight from university.  LIKE WHEN I was going through a battery of recruitment tests, both written and verbals.  LIKE WHEN I first became a part of a true-blue MNC organization.  LIKE WHEN a NOT a brand-new car literally fell into my lap WHEN my office colleague cajoled me to take on and assume his ongoing car loan with our company.  LIKE WHEN I decided to take the risk of flying off to Singapore incognito to eventually become a naturalized citizen there.  All those situations made we WORRIED enough.  BUT WHY ARE WE SO LOCKED-IN WITH WORRYING???

Yes, The Fish Rots From The Head Down

This idiom "THE FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD DOWN" is purportedly as old and dating back as far back as the 1600s.  BUT there has been NO consensus WHETHER this originated from the Greeks, Turks, Chinese or elsewhere.  Regardless, let's make the most of it, the fact that this idiom does exists.  Of course, biologists are the first to disagree that the fish head gets rotten first because they argue, it is the intestinal system of the first that first gets rotten.  For now, let's agree that the FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD DOWN📘📙📗

Regardless, it has become a very common metaphor that we hear from time to time.  With just one too many examples to rattle off.  Let's start off with countries.  WHERE the Head of State OR Government does NOT run the state of affairs as he is expected to be, the whole country could run aground.  A giveaway example is North Korea [BUT we WON'T politicize that farther].  Let's look back at corporate organizations that have collapsed.  NOKIA [although they are trying to 'rise back from the dead for now'].  Kodak.  Enron.  PanAm.  Oh yes, even that old family favorite Polaroid.  Swiss Air.  Arthur Andersen.  Yes, even WorldCom.  BUT if they share one commonality, we'll go back to the idiom that the FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD DOWN, unfortunately💧💧💧

Enough of those conglomerates.  Let's zoom-in deep enough into our lives.  HOW many family-related problems could have caused or presipitated the breakups of families?  And without pointing fingers as EACH STORY IS UNIQUE, yet it's inevitable that we look up at that idiom again, that the FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD DOWN.  If we look for the parallelism whether it's the country's state of affairs, the corporate goings-on OR the personal/family circumstances, it is fairly effortless and very non-argumentative to posit that IF ONLY the 'HEAD' of a country, corporation OR a family is good enough, then there is a fairly good chance failures are averted💥💥💥

We can even look at organizations on a smaller scale.  It could be the school's PARENTS-TEACHERS Association or the neighborhood's HOMEOWNERS Association.   After a year OR so, we could hear allegations and brickbats coming from both sides of the fence, blaming each of the key players LIKE:  Things were running smoothly WHEN our organization was headed by Mr John XXX.  BUT with our incumbent prexy, sadly, HE CAN'T HOLD OUR TEAM TOGETHER, hence this chaos OR confusion causing our group to run aground much like the great Titanic ship suddenly facing that tragic end.  And the common refrain we would hear from so many wannabes, IF ONLY our team was headed by Mr John etc.  IF ONLY the head of the family DIDN'T go astray.  One too many WHAT IFs❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  To be fair and just, let us NOT shoot out premature and baseless judgments solely based on innuendoes, hearsay and at best, half-truths because more often than NOT, it TAKES 2 TO TANGO.  There are NO tyrants WHERE there are NO slaves.  THERE are NO villains WHERE there are NO victims.  As it is, we are always the reminded that there are 3 sides of a narrative.  HIS version.  HER version and the legitimate version.  At the end, we run a full circle back to the idiom that the FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD DOWN😡😡😡

If Only We Listen More [And Talk Less?]?

 

From almost every region in the world [except at the Nordic Region WHERE they remain as calm and as peaceful ever], everywhere else there's either a brewing problem OR problems itself have exacerbated into full-blown conflicts.  Taiwan Straits.  Ukraine. Yemen.  Pakistan.  India.  Cambodia-Thailand Border.  And of course the latest hotspot being Iraq and the Gaza Strip WHERE Palestine is📗📙📘

Oh yes, we're not even dipping into the icy cold relationships between the U.S. versus that axis of China and Russia. Anyways, I am no expert in Geopolitics so we WON'T talk about it.  At hindsight though, I thought that much of all these conflicts are happening because there's too much blah-blah-blah from the opposite sides of each fence.  If only those protagonists spent more time LISTENING???

Think about it, would you agree that probably our global village will be less conflicted if parties spent more time LISTENING rather than indulge in all the bluster and posturing?  That's the thing even in our every day life.  The human frailty is that more often than NOT, we prefer to talk and talk BUT WHEN the other party starts to talk, many of our eardrums seem to shut off.  WHICH is regrettable WHEN it does happen😡😡😡

Up close, I've known people WHO are giftted with the gab, so WHEN it happens you're with them, give them the floor, and they will go on and on.  WHEN finally they pull to a stop, once you start saying your piece, your supposed listener is so embroiled in his/her smartphone AS IF that device is receiving a 999 call alert BUT the truth is, there are folks WHO are NOT just poor LISTENERS BUT are non-LISTENERS💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  My wishful thinking is that our global villages are populated with more ACTIVE LISTENERs than those gifted with the gab.  Please note that I'm intentionally pegging my wish for ACTIVE LISTENERs [and NOT just LISTENERs] because, like the Red Sea, there is a huge divide between an ACTIVE LISTENER versus a PASSIVE one.  BTW, there are more PASSIVE LISTENERs [that includes folks WHO are talking to you and YET, they are literally glued and engaged on their smartphone.  Haist, IF ONLY WE LISTEN MORE [and TALK LESS]💚💛💜

Tough Times DON'T Last [BUT Tough People Do]

 

This one-liner 'TOUGH TIMES DON'T LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO' has been true 99% of the time BUT WHAT is unsaid here is the fact that those TOUGH TIMES do take its toll even on the toughest person.  We've seen OR witnessed world-class and very competitive sportsmen WHO are in deep trainings prior to a fight OR contest ONLY TO LOSE in that contest.  In the post-mortem, the defeated competitor then admits that prior to that fight OR contest, he was bothered with internal problems [e.g. law suits being filed against him] and that impacted NOT just his mental health BUT his state of mind.  Of course, a devil's advocate will blurt out that that's an excuse and alibi no less.  BUT during those 'down moments', can we give him the benefit of the doubt???

Surely, WHEN it comes to life, we can have blanket guarantees that TOUGH TIMES will come [if it has NOT hit you yet].  That's a reality every single person has to go through in life [and that lincludes scions of the rich and famous WHO were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.  BUT WHAT separates the people WHO make it through those TOUGH TIMES and those WHO DON'T is HOW they handle things during those trying times.  And the people WHO make it through are the ones we can tag as TOUGH [if NOT TOUGH enough].  One misconception about TOUGHNESS is that they are OR seem to be immune from the pain that goes with it.  NO sirrrrs, being TOUGH DOESN'T mean you WON'T go through THAT pain, THAT you DON'T stumble, THAT you DON'T shed tears, THAT you DON'T agonize.  Being TOUGH means NEVER GIVING UP even during those times💥💥💥

As there is no simple formula for being TOUGH, we are always told to keep pushing forward even WHEN it feels like there is NO point, even WHEN it looks like an effort that will become futile [because HOW sure are we that your attempt will fail?].  WHAT should keep us going is to inculcate this real hard fact:  THOSE TOUGH TIMES will NOT last forever.  And if you are conscious enough that you are TOUGH, that should be a shot in your arm and in your confidence that you will make it through!!!

SO HOW?  If there is a LESSON #1 I learned early in life, it is to consistently embrace my inner strength during those TOUGH TIMES as I can attest that in at least 90% of those trying times, it did help me get through those TOUGH TIMES and at the end of the road, I remained standing [albeit bruised, black and blue] BUT very much standing on my own feet.  True, those trying times did test my innermost foundations, and I realized then that if there is one power I had then, it was the power to choose HOW should I react to those TOUGH TIMES, which means, I could let it defeat myself OR use it as a platform to be stronger and more resilient in the face of it.  Heard of narratives WHEN flash floods hit a residential community, one family member was able to carry out from the floods all by himself the refrigerator BUT after the floods, he was surprised HOW he did it😗😗😗

Our takeaway:  In the midst of trying times, do allow yourself to feel WHATEVER emotions would surface BUT DON'T get stuck in them.  That huge faux pas happened to me once in the past as I then started to beat up myself for feeling down, allowing [I'll say I was condoning] myself to dwell on the negative thoughts hovering all over me then. WHILE trusting that you will eventually get through those TOUGH TIMES, coming out stronger on the other side will need you to summon all your remaining energies and positivity because TOUGH TIMES DON'T LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO💚💛💜

Does Time Heal The Wounds?

 

DOES TIME HEAL THE WOUNDS?  Everyone of us did experience pain, disappointment, heartbreak, OR even one level of trauma OR another.  WHO did not anyways?  And well-meaning people will assure us that that pain will eventually fade with time.  That proposition has been shot down many times by experts WHO claim that that's untrue and no less than a fallacy.  WHY?  Because there is NO evidence that time heals wounds!@#$%?

WHAT is of common understanding is that time indeed helps in healing the wounds.  Everyone is a first-hand witness HOW time has become a factor in healing wounds.  BUT WHO will claim that time alone heals those wounds?  All the experts will scream and howl that NO WAY time heals on its own, never at all.  First of, the nature of the wound OR pain can affect as to HOW time influences the healing process.  In one study, researchers found that time did have an effect on whether people were willing to forgive an interpersonal transgression.  As time passed, people became more likely to forgive, suggesting that time played a role in healing that hurt.  BUT numerous researches proved as well that time alone does NOT heal the wounds.  In one study, bereaved people had high levels of prolonged grief even one to two years after the death of a loved one💥💥💥

The bigger and lingering question was WHAT was time's actual role in healing those wounds?  Psychologists wanted to equate time to an opportunity such that how someone heals over time ultimately depends on HOW they decide to use that opportunity to shape their present and even future circumstances.  LIKE people can use time to gain insights, have a healthier relationship and a more positive orientation leaning towards growth [instead of that 'stagnation' WHEN we observe that to people WHO are facing that enormous difficulty of overcoming grief, pain OR trauma.  In the end, some successful case studies proved that people would use time as an opportunity to collect experiences that orient them toward their values and dilute OR challenge difficult experiences!!!

Those positive orientations could be, amongst others, connecting with well-meaning friends, developing new relationships [NOT necessarily romantic ones], or push themselves to get engaged in activities WHICH they will find to be rewarding and helpful enough in their 'healing process'.  In a nutshell, TIME and TIME itself will and cannot guarantee that wounds will be fully healed.  Instead, we've got to reorient ourselves, if possible, redefine the 'rules of engagement' that can keep us keenly interested and engaged until you realize that you're over the hump [BUT a word of caution here, this WON'T happen overnight]❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  One trap that can turn a bad situation to a worse one is RUMINATION WHEN reflection does NOT integrate thought and emotion.  Clinical experts defined RUMINATION as usually ALL emotion OR ALL thought.  Whereas, a healthy reflection integrates both the emotion and the thought to help us gain new inroads towards grasping and achieving a much better clarity in our healing process.  So, DOES TIME HEAL WOUNDS?  Partly YES BUT never depend on time because it is you WHO will drive things to heal💖💖💖

Time To Face Our Mirror?

 

Let's start off our day with a bonus question.  WHAT is the most difficult question we can ask ourselves?  YES you got it, examining our very own FLAWS is actually NOT the easiest thing to do.  You can challenge me on this but it's no mean feat as we innately resist looking at our truly negative qualities and traits, more as a matter of psychological self-preservation.  Accepting this explanation pushes us to a corner though📗📙📘

SO HOW?  HOW can we identify our own flaws [a.k.a. truly negative qualities] without seemingly punching ourselves then?  Frankly, for us to uncover our own faults and flows would need a big dose of courage and maturity, all rolled into one.  I came across a passage from Practical Psychology WHICH says:  THE SHADOW IS A MORAL PROBLEM THAT CHALLENGES THE WHOLE EGO-PERSONALITY FOR NO ONE CAN BECOME CONSCIOUS OF THE SHADOW WITHOUT CONSIDERABLE MORAL EFFORT.  Indeed, this is a tough call we need to face as there is no way to look the other direction💚💛💜

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung opined that each of us has that hidden layer of NEGATIVITY and denial known as the 'SHADOW'.  And that SHADOW is anathema to the face we show the world every day WHICH Jung coined as our PERSONA.  And that we wear that PERSONA as a mask to hide our ugly tendencies from public sight, ouchhhh.  And here comes the expert psychotherapists WHOSE main goal is to ingrate that SHADOW into our conscious personality, for us to acknowledge and accept it, thus becoming more authentic in the process.  Psychologists claim that we humans love to divide, classify and categorize things in our lives and about one another💥💥💥

Researches also showed that everyone of us do harbor our own respective 'demons'.  And the darkest part of our minds make up some of the most important parts of our identities.  BUT for the majority of our lives, social and private, we tend to repress those 'darkest things' that deeply define us.  And those studies did draw ourselves to that concept of the PERSONA!!!

Our takeaway:  From a philosophical standpoint, I'll opine that we need to reconcile with our respective SHADOWS because the harder we fight against it, the deeper those UNSEEN ones get more obscured. And I think the key here is for us to embrace that reality and figure out how to come up with a balanced way to express it in our daily life.  And WHILE that inevitably is a long, confusing, tiring and repetitive process, the result of its success is that 'harmony' with things we are sometimes denied.  True, accepting one's SHADOWS is crucial to complete acceptance of ourselves.  Truth is, our own DARKNESS makes us WHO we are, just as much as our goodness does.  TIME TO FACE OUR MIRROR, dude😡😡😡

Will 'GOOD THINGS' Come To Those Who Wait?

 

So sorry, I spoiled this poster because I just DON'T agree with it.  HOW often do we hear:  GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT  Seriously?  Everytime I heard that, I'll blurt out:  WHAAAT?  WHAT world are you living in dude?  The whole 'GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT' notion is no less than a fallacy for most of us.  The truth is that WHAT most of us experience is that doors DON'T just open and good things DON'T just come because we wait for them✅✅✅

Personally, I DON'T presume to know that this HASN'T been and is NOT the truth for someone, somewhere, somehow.  Maybe good things have come to some WHO have just waited.  Maybe doors have indeed just magically opened for some?  I accept that sometimes this might be true for the people WHO said them, WHO came up with them OR coined them.  Maybe that was their reality?  BUT it's NOT mine though and it ISN'T the reality for any accomplished ones I know❌❌❌

WHAT's interesting and WHAT pushes my curiosity farther and deeper is HOW and WHAT drives some people to excel, WHAT motivates their discipline and WHAT steps have they taken to realize their dreams?  WHAT I learned though is that successful and fulfilled people are NOT waiting for things to happen. Peope WHO are working in their dream careers are NOT waiting for anything to happen.  Instead, they pay the price.  HOW?  They hustle💥💥💥

Let me blurt things out here.  Waiting for good things to happen and hoping for someone to open a door to open reflects that passive and undetermined path towards one's success [and just the thought of it leaves me feeling so powerless, honestly].  I read this in one of our literary pieces before:  THE DREAM IS REAL BUT THE HUSTLE IS SOLD SEPARATELY.  Dude, that is NO LESS than a brutally frank statement.  SO HOW?  We just have to step up and lead our own journeys, create our own experiences and carve our own paths.  True, that is NOT a trial rehearsal, a pre-test OR practice exam.  This is it, dude😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  This thread poses more questions for us.

WHO really wants to sit around waiting for something?

WHO among us is waiting around for the door to open?

WHO wants to yield all of his power to someone's whims?

True, sometimes miracles do happen [BUT those are very extremely rare outliers].  In those very rare instances, maybe a door will indeed get opened to us out of the blue.  Want to wait for those outliers?  Go ahead, good luck dude BUT should we NOT pay the price to make things happen?  Much as hope is good, even hope itself requires action so I strongly belief we need to go out there and hustle.  After all, GOOD THINGS DON'T COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT!!! 

Life Risks

 

LIFE RISKS, indeed this is kind of boring stuff to talk about.  BUT again, LIFE is about RISK.  Everyday is a RISK.  BUT to live a life aligned to our dreams, every RISK which takes us near our life's dream are worth taking.  So, do we worry RISK-taking in life?  If we're answering in the affirmative, NOT to be sounding like an alarmist, BUT we got to change our perception about RISK.  BTW, WHAT I observed a very common disconnect is the negative connotation RISK brings along its time that 4-letter word is heard💚💛💜

BUT can we agree that NOT all RISKS in life are indeed RISKY!!!  And ironically, WHAT is often missed out that during those times WHEN we decide NOT to take on OR face the RISKs, that itself could be a RISKY decision.  Thing is, in life, some RISKS are worth managing but some RISKS are worth taking to live a meaningful life.  No less than Facebook and Meta top honcho Mark Zuckerberg was well quoted:  THE ONLY STRATEGY THAT IS GUARANTEED TO FAIL IS NOT TAKING RISKS😡😡😡

If welook around, WHY are there INSURANCE companies?  They are there to give us the cover and [financial] protection from RISKS.  BUT here's a $64 question:  Do we need those INSURANCE companies for every RISK we will face in life?  NO sirrrrrrs.   There's a long list of RISKs WHICH we should be talking and taking in life in order to live our life without regret.  And taking those RISKs will cost us NONE, NADA, KEILNER!!!

• PURSUE YOUR DREAM - True, that could be RISKY and many things can go wrong.  Your $$$$, your career, your family, everything can be at RISK BUT those are the RISKs worth taking.  The most frequent regretful words I heard a zillion times is:  I SHOULD HAVE blah blah blah 
• CAREER RISK - Fact is, many people dislike their jobs and I guess this is a widespread feeling, that fear of changing their jobs, that fear NOT getting a suitable job
• RISK of FAILING - This paralyzes one to take action.  And WHAT's missed often is that only by failing will one eventually succeed as failing teaches us more

Our takeaway:  As we all have our own comfort zones, 'MOVING OUT' and 'MOVING AWAY' from it is the way to go IF you want to move ahead in life and take on the RISKs that get into your way.  With your courage, you are expanding your comfort zone as your courage is your willingness to take RISKs.  YES YES yowww, life is about RISK.  In fact, every day is a RISK.  Even crossing the street right next to your home exposes you to the RISK of being ran over by vehicles.  So, would you rather get stuck in your home!@#$%?