The Courage to Embrace Uncertainty
“As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think.” ~ Native American Wisdom given to Joseph Campbell
Have you ever careened into the unknown? Leapt with nothing but your wings on your back and the hopes of a net or springy ground beneath to catch you if you fall? Heady, isn’t it?
Uncertainty is as much a part of our lives as food, water, and air. We never quite know how it’s going to pop up, but we do know it’ll swoop down on us one way or the other, so how do we handle it?
By moving forward with courage, grace, and curiosity about the unknown.
You see, the courage to embrace uncertainty hinges on the belief that you live in a friendly Universe and the Divine has your back. Faith in a beneficent Higher Power (God, the Goddess, Buddha, Jesus) makes it easier to sail forth into strange waters, and this faith, this connection to the Divine, fills your sails and your wings with air. You realize that you may not know everything ahead of time, but you do know you’ll be provided for, and it’s possible to live your dreams if you pour your love, skill, and effort into it.
Uncertainty, then, is your invitation to explore what’s possible for you. It’s an opportunity to experience something beautiful, something beyond your comfort zone and daily routine. When new variables come into play, you open the door for magic and serendipitous results.
This isn’t to say you’ll never fail or fall, because you will, but it is to say that there’ll be the courage to face whatever comes, knowing it’ll be OK in the end. Living in a friendly Universe means your ideas will take off and you will flourish. It may not happen according to your timeline or exactly how you expect it to, but it will happen.
When you’re curious about what uncertainty holds, you’re more likely to go on adventures that teach you more about yourself, your ideas, your beliefs, and your business. You stay open to expanding your being and freeing your mind, leaping forward into glory when you outgrow your circumstances and limiting beliefs. You discover what it means to trust that you’re provided for and you don’t have to be afraid.
The courage to embrace uncertainty means you stop trying to control every little detail, so things go exactly the way you want them to. It’s realizing you can only plan so far ahead and relaxing your grip on the reins so the chips can fall where they may. You understand that you can be prepared, yes, but you can’t foresee everything, and you don’t have to lose sleep over it. All you have to do is show up, give it all you’ve got, trust that it’ll be enough, and wait for the outcome without being too attached to what you want.
A lot of our disappointment and heartache comes from being too attached to a particular outcome that we really, really want. Sometimes, desperation mixes in with wanting it so badly, and we end up repelling what we seek. But if we’re able to detach from our desired outcome and separate our self-worth from the success or failure of our venture, we discover we’re OK with not knowing exactly how it’s going to turn out.
Again, this isn’t an excuse not to plan ahead or be diligent about your work. It’s simply a reminder that how you deal with uncertainty depends on how you view it, and if you embrace it, you’re less likely to fret or lose sleep over what you can’t control. The more you embrace uncertainty, the less time and energy you burn imagining negative outcomes and doubting whether you can handle what’s in front of you or coming your way.
You can cultivate the courage to embrace uncertainty when you pay attention to the words you speak, the thoughts on replay in your head, and your actions. Believing the Divine has your back means you have a positive outlook on life and you trust in yourself. When you have a mind-set that anything is possible and beauty is always around the corner, you’re resilient enough to go with the flow and course-correct without losing faith in your abilities or ideas.
This courage is what gives you the grace to face the unknown without crumbling or losing your ground. The grace to adjust when you need to will keep you alert yet relaxed, a state of mind that makes it easier to do what you need to do without losing yourself in the minutiae of it.
Being so fluid, of course, means you constantly adapt to the unexpected and aren’t fazed when you have to try something different on short notice. And that, my dear, makes all the difference between cowering in a dark corner and striding forth into the unknown with a gleam in your eye.
Are you willing to embrace the uncertain with grace, courage, and curiosity? How can you make it a daily practice that buoys you up and energizes your business?
