BY LEO BABAUTA
Most of us have a troubled relationship with uncertainty, often without even knowing it.
Our most difficult problems often stem from uncertainty: procrastination, overwhelm, distraction, anxiety, frustration with others, beating ourselves up, trouble with forming (or quitting) habits, health issues, relationship issues, financial issues, control or perfectionist issues.
At the root of these is our troubled relationship with uncertainty. We don’t like uncertainty, we want to avoid or control uncertainty, we get stressed when we can’t. And uncertainty is unavoidable: everything is uncertain all the time!
The good news is that uncertainty doesn’t have to be this terrible thing that we hate and need to avoid. In fact … we can find joy in uncertainty.
We can delight in uncertainty, and fall in love with it.
This new relationship with uncertainty can unlock so much for us — freedom and joy and the ability to take on whatever we want.
Let’s dive in!
Finding the Delight in Uncertainty
We might instinctively dislike uncertainty, but in truth, we would be so bored without it. Imagine watching a movie and always knowing how it turns out, or reading the same book over and over. We want surprise, adventure, and possibility.
Uncertainty is the place where we learn — if we are certain about something, there’s nothing new to learn. It’s the place where we form intimate relationships, create art, make something new. It’s the place of discovery, play, dance, growth. It’s the pre-requisite for all of this!
Connect with the times when you’ve felt the most meaning and joy: these times were filled with delicious uncertainty!
Imagine going out into the unknown, on an adventure, and find the delight in the uncertainty.
Imagine doing something meaningful for someone, with uncertainty along for the ride, adding so much meaning to the endeavor.
Imagine the uncertainty and dance of a new relationship, the vulnerability and discovery of it.
Notice the uncertainty in your life right now: is there a way you could be grateful for it? Can you savor it, like a delicious desert? Can you delight in it, like a newly discovered aria?
Can you allow yourself to open to it, and fall in love with the uncertainty of your life?