Modern culture seems to be under the impression that good and easy are synonymous. In a world that expects instant gratification, the beauty in difficult tasks is becoming forgotten. There was a time before I was born when the difficult was chased after. In this time, people took pride in accepting a challenge. Hard work was a thing of honor, not something to be avoided.

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."

-Thomas Jefferson

This outlook is truly a loss of great tragedy. I say this because the very best days of my life have been the days that I did something difficult. Those were the days that have shaped me. Those are the days I have learned. Those are the days I have grown. Those are the days I have lived.

"Opportunity is missed by people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

-Thomas Edison

There are two things that are at the core of this problem: laziness and fear. These are both traits of human nature, but that most definitely does not excuse them. Laziness limits life. It's that simple. If you're not willing to get up and go do something right now, you never will. If you're not willing to work for something, you will never achieve it.

"A ship is always safe at shore, but that is not what it's built for..."

- Albert Einstein

Life is happening now. Don't miss it due to your lack of motivation. Fear is just a lie created to trick us into missing life's greatest experiences. I could write an entire article on fear and I probably will, but for now just stop believing the lie. Go live!

"A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there."

-unknown

When you replace laziness with motivation and fear with courage, you'll begin to live. When you start looking for the difficult tasks, the challenges, the things that lie beyond your comfort zone you'll learn what life is truly intended to be.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

-Helen Keller

Start small. Sometimes the challenge isn't climbing Mount Everest. Sometimes the challenge is taking a difficult college course and putting in the time and effort needed to conquer the class. Stepping outside your comfort zone may be as simple as trying something new. These small steps grow into big steps and the big steps become leaps of faith.

"Do what you can with what you have where you are."

-Theodore Roosevelt

Here's the thing, we're not promised tomorrow. None of us know how many pages we have to write, but every day that we wake up still on this earth is a blank page. Let's fill them with stories that will inspire future generations to live life to its fullest. Start now.

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself."

-Amelia Earhart

Opportunity knocks only once if you don't open the door you just might miss it. So when a job opportunity comes up, take it. When you get the chance to travel somewhere new, go on the trip. When there's something new to try, do it. Don't let the possibility of difficulty control you. Don't allow fear to stop you. Live intentionally.

"It had long since come to my attention that people of great accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."

- Leonardo Da Vinci

Sometimes, opportunity isn't going to come find you. Sometimes, you have to go out and look for it. Take a chance. Look for the smallest chances and take them because small opportunities often become big experiences.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

-Oscar Wilde

There are many things I have yet to experience. I've only been on this earth for 21-short-years, but in that brief time I have learned that hard work pays off, a comfort zone is no place to take up residency, and fear is only a lie. Life is for living. Don't waste it existing.