Grab Uncertainty And Give It A Bear Hug

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“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~ Steve Jobs

Why do we attach fear to the unknown?

Recently, something spectacular happened to me. Something I didn’t plan. Something I didn’t try for. Something I hadn’t thought of. Something I didn’t even know I wanted.

But my heart was open, and the universe responded.

They say your life changes in an instant. It did. And in the best way possible. I am overwhelmed with euphoria and gratitude, laced with many moments of disbelief. How did I not see it coming? What did I do to deserve this? It has already begun to change me.

In my overly-planned, highly-articulated life, I haven’t allowed for enough of these moments…Of serendipity, of surprise…Of possibility. It is with that realization, I have resolved to crave the unknown.

Most often our fears are rooted in things that are out of our control. We want to know, we strive to prepare, we need to plan. Put everything in a neat little package and organize it to death. We want a notification someone is coming, ID to see who’s calling, and a “sign” to pre-qualify the next move. Put it all on a list.

We stare through the peephole afraid to open the door.

And then that event, that person, that opportunity arises that we didn’t orchestrate, and our instinct is to initially resist it. We fight the unexpected and question its intention.

It’s scary. It’s complicated. It might not work. What if we get hurt?

Our guards and internal protectors are summoned creating unnecessary barriers. Our minds caution: Be careful! so we turn to logic instead of allowing our intuitive hearts to guide us.

Brushes with pain, failure and heartbreak train us to hold back and preserve. Of course you don’t touch the hot stove twice. We recoil.

In that process, we shut out love.

We condemn possibility.

We eliminate chance.

And in doing so, we choose sameness and an uninspiring journey down the well-worn path. We unknowingly settle. We miss the dance.

When you spend life bracing for impact, you live in constant apprehension, stealing happiness from each joyful moment. And preparing for the fall never really softens it.

What happens when you embrace uncertainty? When the fear of rejection and hurt no longer bind you and you are emboldened to pursue the things you want…

What happens when you savor ambiguity? When “not knowing” what it’s all going to lead to becomes delicious hope to roll around in…

What happens when you welcome unpredictability? When the comfort of familiarity and routine are enthusiastically exchanged for the untraveled winding road…

You are set free. You launch forward and entice remarkable experiences upon you. You discover love that breaks open flood gates of untapped emotion and overwhelms you with its power and breadth. Opportunity saturates each day filling it with anticipation.

You realize the promise of the guarantee is only a mirage, falsely tempting you into safety where you resign to the normal and miss the extraordinary.

Sunbathe in the rays of possibility.

Because that very thing you’ve been looking for all your life might just be waiting around that next bend…Go there to meet it. The best thing to ever happen to you that will shake your entire core waits for your invitation…Open the door.

And when you let it in, you will never be the same.

Turn the knob.

Revel in the unknown.