We’re all a bit detached from reality. We see ourselves in a certain light that tends to be a bit too favorable. At the very least, we have an ideal that we’re trying to reach. Daily we’re confronted with reality when we consider our mistakes, failings, and past errors that painfully remind us just how far we have to go.

To err is human, but so is to dwell. We like wallowing in self-pity and will indulge ourselves any chance that we get. We tell ourselves that we are the way we are because of circumstances beyond our control conspiring against us. The truth is that the only thing holding you back from being a better you is, well, you.

I like to be comfortable and so I’ll instinctively pivot away from pain any chance that I get. This is a natural occurrence, but one that I should really focus on overcoming. Comfortable is safe, and safe is dangerous. Like the frog swimming happily in the warming waters, we can be unaware that comfort is slowly killing us.

Instead of internalizing these painful reminders, what if we laid them down and used them as stepping stones? A broken road that ultimately reaches our destination is just as useful in the final analysis as a perfect road that takes us to the same place. We carry too many burdens that rob us of the joys that we could be experiencing today and our family of the man that they deserve.

Pain is our body’s alarm system attempting to modify our actions. When you encounter painful reminders of a darker past, learn the lesson, lay it down, and walk on. In this way you’ll live a happier today and not have to go through the same challenges tomorrow.

Tags: Virtue