As an adult it is not—nor has it ever been—someone else’s responsibility to keep you safe. The safety of yourself and those that you love can only exist if you are willing to create it. Just because it hasn’t happened to you yet or just because you are simply a good person, doesn’t mean that you are excluded from the realities of violence. Walking around pretending the “bad man” doesn’t exist or even being generally comfortable with life are guaranteed methods for failure.
No One Cares More About You, Than You
You should never forget the evil that exists within the human species, and you should never be so complacent that you are caught off guard when life throws a right hook at you. With that said, life in modern America isn’t so bad. You generally have the freedom of choice to be whoever you want and to do whatever you decide. So, even though society today is for the most part fruitful and bountiful, why should you still avoid being nonchalant about your safety?
The elephant in the room that no one cares to discuss is the fact that no one picks “their day.” Nobody wakes up and says, “Man, I can’t wait to defend my life against those home invaders,” “Man, I can’t wait to find out I have cancer today,” “Man, I can’t wait to get in that car accident this afternoon,” or “Man, I can’t wait to lose my job tomorrow.” You don’t hold the roadmap to this game. In a sense, every time you wake up you are playing Russian roulette with life. The only thing guaranteed is that death is waiting for you at the end.
The Harsh Reality
What you do between exiting the womb and taking your last breath of air is a convoluted combination of fate and the choices you make. Without a doubt, hiccups along the way like accidents, deaths, sicknesses and sadness will occur, but it is how you choose to react to these that matters. There may not always be someone there to hold your hand through life’s trials, because the truth in all of this is that no one is coming to save you.
Therefore, you need to be able to react to adversity with the power, decisiveness and a willingness to continue forward at all costs. You need to fight for your family. To fight for your business. You need to fight sickness. You need to fight to bring home yourself and those you hold close. Only you have a responsibility to accept that any notion of safety that is not under your direct control is not guaranteed. And even if it is in your control, you need to constantly adapt as situations evolve. It is no one else’s job to hold you accountable, either. That responsibility falls on your shoulders as well. Many who are unfamiliar with this perspective on life may look at it as daunting and even unrealistic. However, once you wholeheartedly accept all these duties as your own, life becomes less stressful.
A Positive Mindset
The more you self-actualize and come to terms with all your successes, failures, loves, losses, tears and smiles, the more your life will be enriched. If you take on this mindset, the more positive growth you undoubtedly will have. The more you point fingers and blame, the less secure your life will become. The more you accept what cards life decides to deal, the more secure your life will be. Again, no one is coming to save you, so you need to develop the mental fortitude to find solutions to whatever problems come your way. If this all still appears too intimidating a task to accept, then you have instead accepted that the safety of your life and those you love isn’t the top priority.
Acknowledging these harsh realities may be difficult for some, and that is perfectly normal. Fear is a powerful emotion, and sometimes it controls your course in life. You are only as powerful as you allow yourself to be. By allowing fear to take over, your potential for growth is stunted. If anything, the fear of growth creates a false mental plateau that leaves you unable to see that the ceiling above you is made of glass and can be broken through. Recognizing this early allows you to break through sooner and to understand how limitless your potential is. Given this, the decision to act and to do starts with you. When it is all said and done, the security, the care and even the length of your life rests solely with you. Nobody but yourself is writing your life’s story, so grab the damn pen and create a narrative that will honor your forebears!
