I’m afraid of this one prospect while at the same time being very excited by it. When I start to think deeply about it, I tense up and get crazy and can’t quite move or think straight. But I’m still excited about it… more than I have been of most things.
So that’s not easy to deal with or process. Which got me to thinking about how many things I’ve done simply because it was exciting and how many things I haven’t done simply because it was frightening. I started thinking, also, about the outcomes of those things and wondering if the outcome was at all based on the preconceptions I had about it.
It’s rarely a good idea to judge something before really getting to know it. I mean, some things are sure things to judge: a teddy bear will always be cuddly and fun, a war will always be gruesome and unnecessary. But most things shouldn’t be judged without making some attempt to understand or experience it for one’s self. And growing up is one of things you shouldn’t judge ahead of time, either.
I’ve thought many times how much growing up sucks or I wish I was a kid again. Those aren’t very brave ways to think about life. It’s like admitting you only want for yourself what you knew and not what may be new. It’s fearful thinking. If you continue thinking about how great the past was without acknowledging your present or future, you’re just succumbing to this fear and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’re going to eventually realize that your childhood was much better than your adulthood, because you set yourself up to think only that way from the get-go.
So embrace things with excitement above fear. Be cautious. Don’t be fearful. If you are excited about your life, you will find the excitement you seek. It’s really that simple. It may not be that simple to build up that excitement, so it’s not easy, but once you’re on that path to being more excited about your present and your future, you’ll start to be excited when you think about yourself.
This is why life was so much better for most of us when we were young. We thought everything was a new adventure or journey and we didn’t know what there was out there to be afraid of, so we didn’t bother. Every day was another opportunity.
So start thinking that way again. And get excited.