"Don't ask for Easy"

By Luci Fardo

 I know that a lot of people want things that are easier. Easy and stress-free lives. This is all and good. If you want easy then you can't expect greatness. If you want to achieve more than you have to become better. You have to be able to push yourself. You must keep going. Hard work always pays off in the end.

     I haven't had the easiest life. I have struggled just like everyone else. The struggles made me far stronger than success every has. I figured out after I had cancer that there were so many things that you can study online. I studied so many different ideas and subjects. I had a lot of fun along the way. I took a lot of archaeology classes and have a book that is still unpublished today.

     When my husband died unexpectedly in a car accident I had a chance to re-evaluate my life. I had quit my job due to the total grief I was in. I looked at the choices I had made in my life and knew that I was truly alone and there was no one to rescue me.

    This is not an unusual story. It happens to women every day. Death comes to all of us. But, when tough times come they can make you or break you. You have to look at the loss of someone, a job, or any other thing that makes you feel safe an opportunity to better yourself. It is a chance to look at your life. This takes you out of your comfort zone. You may be afraid or anxious. This can be an opportunity to step out on the ledge and try the things you always want to try. This can make you push your personal boundaries and train your brain to create knew pathways to enable you to do things others can't. You learn to take more risks. When you face an extreme situation to find it tested. Once you learn to leave your comfort zone you learn to be able to achieve more than you ever would. You get used to the anxiety and move past it. Growth is an important part of life. Search new things and develop a growth mindset. People with fixed mindsets you can't improve yourself.

    Make it a habit of trying new things. Surround yourself with people who challenge your growth mindset. Find people who encourage you and make you better. Find a mentor or someone who can help you to learn from. You become like the people you surround yourself with. Make sure that they are people you like and respect.

     When things are hard you can always find a way. Make sure that you change the questions that you ask. Not why did this happen to me? How can I be better tomorrow because of this situation. Become that better person to be able to make your dreams come true. Make lists to evaluate your life. Open your eyes and see that the world around you works for you. Fear isn't the enemy. It doesn't mean you are in danger. It means you have stepped on the path of something better. I know it is easier to stay with the comfortable life. That fear is the price that we have to pay to achieve the best life can be. The anxiety and exhaustion are part of the best things that will come. Make sure to keep moving forward when you are afraid. Why wouldn't you want to diminish your gifts. Look at the world as your friend. See the greatness in your life. When you fight for your weakness you will never see the greatness there. You can always control your actions. That gives you great power. Sometimes the world will really come at you, but when you face failure you can position yourself to learn from that experience. There is always more on the horizon that you are not able to see yet. Look for the value in every situation and learn to fall forward. At the end of your life you don't want to look back and with regret but with a smile.