You Just Don't Know!!!

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Well, I guess this is just another ‘one of them’ things. I’ve just realized that one of the major things that holds us back, both as a people and as individuals, is just fear of the unknown. We think something is dangerous? We don’t bother trying it at all. We think something is unhealthy? We don’t step a foot in. Many times, we don’t even take time to study what we’re scared of. We simply conclude in our minds that it’s bad for us.

But it never really stops there, does it? We go on to spread it to other people. Depending on what it is, we start looking at people who do those very things as smart, superhumans, evil, or careless. The very steps that fear stopped us from taking such steps end up making us glorify or put down those who actually do. Sadly, it doesn’t mean that we still get to try it out. Because, as they say, ignorance is bliss.

There are people who have never done something before, but when you ask them why, they tell you that it’s too difficult. Okay, but have they actually tried to do it? No. They just looked at a few factors and concluded that they can’t do it at all. Just like that. There are things that many people are missing out on simply because they think the process is too long and cumbersome. They don’t even bother to start because they believe that they don’t have what it takes to see it through to the end.

But then, just as with everything else, you can’t know for sure if you haven’t gone in first. How can you conclude that a shoe is tight without even wearing it? It’s just like concluding that driving is too difficult before you even start learning how to drive. This mentality has kept many people from actually doing things that would have helped them positively.

And I am no different. There were so many things I used to think simply because I had no idea how the system worked. There was a time when I used to think that going to the supermarket was a bad idea because things were so damn expensive there. I used to think that buying around was just better for me. Later on, I learned that buying at the supermarket was basically the same as buying at the local market. The differences in price rely heavily on the trader and the owner of the supermarket.

And while local markets give you the space to bargain and haggle prices, supermarkets provide you with a cleaner and quieter shopping experience where you can browse through the wares without bumping shoulders with every Tom, Dick, and Harry that’s at the market with you. The price differences are never too much to warrant it. And that’s why, provided it’s possible, I’ll always prefer the supermarket to the local one.

Thankfully, there are now supermarkets for so many things. There are supermarkets for foodstuffs, baby things, and the usual supermarkets as well. They won’t always have everything, but it also means that I won’t always have to go to the local market.

This is not just with my shopping lifestyle; it also affects several areas. Like going to the cinema, going to the beach, learning a skill, making a major life decision… the list goes on. I used to think that some things were too expensive for me, or too stressful or difficult for me to see it through. But once I made up my mind to do it? I realized that I had only been deceiving myself, and my only regret was not getting to start it sooner.

And that’s why today, before I tell myself something, I demand to know why I’m doing so. Am I saying no, because I really don’t want it? Or am I doing so because of fear?

Little by little, we grow every day.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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