Stepping Into The Unknown
Stepping into the unknown can be frightening for a lot of people, and was for me for many years. The thought of living each day as it came, to not be prescriptive with life and to just go with the flow sounded good but was not something that came easily to me. What changed?
When I realised that letting go of my routines and expectations was not the end of the world. What I saw instead was that when I let my life just flow and adapt to sudden or unexpected changes, it created room for other things, letting life unfold in a magical kind of way.
As I write this it’s almost the middle of April, and the whole world is stepping into one of the biggest unknowns in our lifetime and history. I’m not going to pretend it’s been an easy adjustment, I was looking forward to events, talks, time with friends, holidays. However, I realise this is not supposed to be right now and I have made peace with this. At the moment I feel grateful to still have a job, a house, and a healthy family. One of the most challenging things about these periods of the unknown is not being able to predict the outcome - it’s like being blindfolded. As a result we can spend a lot of time dwelling on fear and the ‘what ifs’ of the world.
I used to be the kind of person who liked to plan ahead and feel prepared and organised, so my mind would frequently drift into ‘what if’ mode. By trying to imagine what could happen, I felt that I could put my mind at ease somehow by exerting some kind of control over a situation where in truth I had zero control. The problem with endless wondering about what could happen (especially because it hasn’t happened yet) is that it just creates a greater sense of anxiety and stress. So what can you do about it?
Time and time again, the ‘what ifs’ in my head never ended up playing out in reality. If they do, those thoughts are never as bad as I’ve anticipated them to be. So what I do now to override ‘what if’ mode is choose love instead of succumbing to fear. I press pause on any thoughts from my past or negative feelings that start to come up. Instead I concentrate on the now. I focus on what is happening in front of me, or think about the things in my life that I am so grateful for and that fill me with joy. As my friend Gabby Bernstein says “we always have the ability to reach for a better feeling thought”. After a few minutes of doing this my fears disappear, I have renewed trust in what the future will bring, and remind myself that it hasn’t been written yet. What’s important is not to focus too much on the past, as not all situations are the same, and in this case there’s not really been anything like this. Instead focus on love, positive thoughts and what you already have to be grateful for. Whatever you fear can be overcome, and like everything it to shall pass.
Remember when earlier I talked about things unfolding in a magical kind of way when you let life flow, and adapt to its sudden or unexpected changes? This is where you can let your mind wonder about the ‘what ifs’ in a positive way. As our routines have been disrupted, and our days look different now, how can you best harness this to create positive change for yourself? What if you could work from home more, what if you took up a new hobby, what if you finally started doing that thing you love but never have time for? The possibilities are endless and this surreal period is actually an exciting gift of change.
By stepping into the unknown we can embrace the fear that comes with not knowing, we are stepping into the field of all posibilities. Even those who like to be organised can get excited about what could come next. During this time where the future can seem dim and dark, remember to allow your heart and mind to be open and focus on how the unknown has the potential to help you see or create light, and live your greatest life.
