The Battle Within
It truly is an unbelievably hard thing to do, to change. Why would a person, being terribly unhappy with the way he is, persist in being that way anyway? It’s puzzling alright, even to the person so-afflicted. I can tell you that from personal experience.
Why, for example, would a person continue smoking, even though few of his friends smoke, his parents and sister don’t smoke, his best friend doesn’t smoke, in fact only one of his friends smokes… and given all the evidence of the dangers of smoking to one’s health, the harm it does to one’s sporting performance, not to mention the embarrassment of smelling like smoke, or the shame in being discovered smoking by someone well-deceived, who this person has led to believe that he is a NON SMOKER… why on earth would a person continue smoking?
Why would a person who was born with inherent gifts, a good ear for music, a good hand for drawing, a natural ability with writing skills, very strong mechanical skills, a natural spatial understanding of things… a strong and healthy body… why would a person squander all these gifts and not use ANY of them? OK, save for skiing and biking. He uses his body for those things. But you get the idea.
Why would a guy who was given all the right directions and advice, by people he loves and/or respects, regarding financial strategies, why would he blow it all and lose it all? Why would he command his ship back onto the rocks, all the while subconsciously knowing how to navigate his way out?
Why would a guy who was given the best upbringing in the world, with two dedicated and loving parents, with a lifelong best friend, with many good friends met and lost along the way, with a private school education, why would a person leave these things behind as he wanders, why would he abondon them? I don’t understand. Why? And when this person approaches his 50th birthday with no family of his own, no career of his own, no real accomplishments or bragging rights for anything worthwhile, only a past that’s a wreckage of half-completed plans, a past with an aching and gnawing envy of others’ accomplishments, why would he find himself lonely, and gut-wrenchingly so?
Why is it so hard to change? Because it’s comfortable, I guess. It’s familiar. It’s the way we operate, and we know nothing else. But what happens to some of us, we panic about the rapid advancement of time, we realize that if we are going to accomplish anything worthwhile we have to start now… we realize that what was once comfortable is now bloody uncomfortable and something has to be done about it.
But still, it’s hard to change, very hard.
***The purpose of this blog is to learn how to be happy and successful***
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