“Giving up our attempts to control things forces us to face the reality that life is really nothing but uncertainty.”
–Swami Chetanananda
We are in a fascinating time of great change. Sometimes, it feels like everything around us is changing—and all at once! It is easy to become overwhelmed and distracted and feel confused about where to focus your attention. What do we do? Where do we turn? Who are we in the midst of all of this uncertainty?
What is Uncertainty
About ten months ago, I decided to start off on a journey of running my business from different places around the world. My first destination was Thailand. I had all kinds of ideas about what I would be doing, how long I would stay, and how I would spend my time. Boy was I wrong! Everything changed the second I got here. I had to suddenly deal with the fact that I no longer had ANYTHING in my life that was certain. Everything from where I was living, eating, working, who my friends are, what language I’m speaking, how much money I had—everything became fluctuating variables.
At first, I started to panic. What was happening? Was I doing something WRONG? Why does everything seem so out of control?
Then, suddenly, a voice of reason from my head, “If you had all this figured out, You Would Be TOTALLY Bored.”
I laughed aloud. That was absolutely right. It was then that I realized that we are not here to have everything all figured out. Uncertainty is something we are going to have to deal with OUR ENTIRE LIVES, and we better just accept it, relax into the idea of constant change, and move on.
Is Anything Really Certain?
“…relax gradually and wholeheartedly into the ordinary and obvious truth of change. [When we do this] we begin to understand that we’re not the only one who can’t keep it all together. We no longer believe that there are people who have managed to avoid uncertainty.”
–Pema Chodron
Do you know anyone that can avoid uncertainty?
When it comes down it, nothing in our lives is certain. This is frightening, and we do all kinds of things to try to avoid this reality. But what if we just accepted it? What if we embraced that the only thing we can really change in our lives is our perception of events, our emotional response, and our attitude to change?
Since we know that we are destined to live a life of uncertainty, we might as well get comfortable making decisions in uncertain times. Change can be scary, but take a look through these tips and see if you can get a better handle on making decisions…
Five Tips Making Better Decisions
1. Stop thinking that the idea is to Figure Everything Out. Your job isn’t to figure everything out, it is just to be happy and sort out answers to what’s right in front of you.
2. Focus on What is In Front of You RIGHT NOW. Most of the time, we are fighting a battle, trying to control the future. You cannot safeguard yourself from future woes. The best thing you can do is participate to make the best Now that you can, and move forward.
3. Learn how to Relax in the Midst of Change. One thing I like to do is imagine the eye of a hurricane. Even in the worst kind of chaos, there is a still point. Find it and get centered.
4. Focus on your Values. If you need to make a decision, best to consult how it fits in with your values. How would you feel if you made this choice? How would you feel if you made that one? Spend some time determining why, and usually a clear answer will appear.
Remember…
5. You Can Always Change your Mind. Everything is temporary, and we have the greatest gift to try something, and if it doesn’t work, we simply change our mind. Don’t be afraid to take action, see what happens, and if you don’t like the results… just change your mind!
Potential, Possibility, and Freedom
In conclusion, we are in times of great change. You are likely to not have all of the answers, or even most of them. The best we can ultimately do is accept our situation, realize we don’t have control over all of the outcomes, focus on what is in front of us, relax into accepting that change is inevitable and move forward. By relying on our core values, we can do our best and see what happens. And in the end, we can always change our mind if we don’t like the outcome!! When we can make friends with uncertainty, we can find a new sense of authenticity and ultimately find freedom in the midst of change.
“…the experience of uncertainty contains the potential for living authentically and truly. It holds the spectrum of infinite potential, possibility, and freedom.”
–Swami Chetanananda
