Why 63% (Or 77%, or 94%, Whatever) of Life Is Mental

Life is not hard.

When you break it down, there are three simple steps: we are born, we live and do some stuff, and then we die. Not complicated, right? So why then, you might ask, does it feel so hard so much of the time? Why do we feel like we're drowning? Why does it feel so hard to balance schoolwork and mortgages and eating healthy and taking care of kids and working out and keeping the dog out of the trash and praying that the house your neighbors just moved out of doesn't end up occupied by crystal meth addicts?

Because we make it hard.

The human mind is one of the greatest developments in evolutionary history. It has enabled us to reach the stars, transform the face of our planet, and advance our species so far that we are without equal on Earth.

But the human mind is also one of our greatest enemies. Your mind makes you scared. It causes fear. It's immediate reaction to any situation is to retreat to safety. It's not your fault - evolution works, and it works pretty damn well. You likely would not be here had your ancestors NOT been intrinsically motivated by their mind to seek the safest environments and make safe decisions. While this helped your ancestors survive, in our modern civilization, sometimes our mind's preference for safety is detrimental to our success. The mind fears risk, and wants to avert risk at all costs. 

What does that mean for you? In a society full of comfort, it means you must now actively seek out challenging situations for yourself. Without challenge, you become content. When you become content, you become bored. And when you become content and bored, well, that's when you end up eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's (mmm, ice cream..) while watching infomercials at 2am, wondering what the hell you're doing with your life.

SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?

Overcome your mind. Ignore it. Drown it out with other messages - positive messages, motivational messages, silent messages. Do whatever it takes, whatever works best for you and keeps your mind quiet while you push yourself physically and mentally. Your mind opposes self-improvement because it opposes change, but you overcome it each time you choose hard work over comfort.