LegendaryLife Blog

This little kid is learning what it's like getting past your fears!

I believe the only thing people should fear in life is death but second to that, would have to be traveling into the unknown.

Metaphores and other illusions

Why is traveling into the unknown so scary for most people? Well, imagine stepping into a river full of sharp rocks and trying to feel your way through onto the smooth rocks to cross, now add the fact that you are in a HURRY to cross. This is what traveling into the unknown is like. No matter how slow or methodically you proceed, everything always seems rushed with many things left behind. For instance, you may have lost your job recently and decide to move across the country to a new position in a new city, new lifestyle etc… no matter what, you are going to experience a fundamental shift in your way of living and thinking at least in the short term. Traveling into the unknown can be seen in the same light as jumping into a black abyss, you don’t know where the bottom lies anymore than you know when you will hit it.

Why is the unknown so scary?

Death is scary because it’s a “once in a lifetime even” that you have no control as to when or how it happens. The unknown is much the same, you have no control as to what will happen or when! I have had more than my fair share of “traveling into the unknown” experiences in my life and rarely, no matter the outcome, is it ever a boring “place” to be in. Jumping on a jet to a foreign country with nothing but a backpack, jumping out of a plane to experience skydiving, swimming in a vast and seemingly endless ocean alone… life is full of scary moments! The unknown usually causes an amplification of the normal day-to-day emotions you feel.

Traveling into the unknown is MUST!

I am NOT going to tell you to avoid the unknown, quite the opposite, it’s very healthy to experience things that are well beyond your comfort levels. I truly believe that you have not lived until you have experienced, at least several times, the anxiety, frustration and exhilaration involved with traveling into the unknown. Not knowing where you are heading while being blindfolded is an experience that will allow you to really see what kind of powder you keep in your cannon. You really don’t know yourself until you have pushed yourself beyond your self-imposed limits in life.

The Bottom Line

Traveling into the unknown is scary… so do it often!