No matter how great yesterday was, we tend to plateau. Eventually, we get bored of our days (again) and long for NEWNESS: new experiences, new feelings, the rewarding climb to the next plateau.
This may sound crazy and you may hate me for saying this but I think we hide our own map. I think we stow away Newness so we can’t find it.
The truth is there is always a bit of Newness very close by and when you’re bored or convinced you can’t find something new to make you feel alive again, there is one direction that is wide open that will surely give you the Newness you desire. And you don’t even need a map. Newness is easy to spot…
But you’re not going to like this part. You’re not going to like what you have to do to get there.
In front of Newness, always and forever, large and formidable like a Shogun warrior, stands FEAR. But don’t hate Fear; that’s how you spot Newness. You look for Fear, because though you can’t see past the warrior’s tremendous profile, there is always a treasure trove of new feelings and new experiences laying in a heap, just past its shadow.
And here’s something that will surprise you: there is no need to fight Fear.
In fact, Fear will do exactly what you tell it to do. Fear will kneel down in your presence with its intimidating sword and impenetrable shield. Fear will cower at your command because you are the one who put it there. You are the one who gave it the order to stand and growl and stomp.
But even if you can’t mutter the right commands, I promise you this: Fear won’t touch you. Just walk by. Inch by if you have to. Sidestep your way past the foot of the roaring warrior, through its stale huffs of breath, into its thick, black shadow.
Make your way through to the other side and you will see, standing in the light looking back, that Fear cannot touch you, that the shadow wasn’t as big as you thought, and that the treasure is right where you left it.