The Magic of Uncertainty

As a general rule, we don’t like uncertainty. We want to know what’s going to happen so we can plan. We want to be prepared for whatever might unfold. 

Uncertainty takes that away from us and in the face of not knowing, we tend to have a few predictable responses. We…

• Get overwhelmed, unable to know where to begin.
• Grasp for control any and any way that we can.
• Shrink and fall into ourselves unable to cope.

We don’t like the dark of uncertainty. We crave the light, the predictability that comes from knowing exactly where we are going.

The gift of the dark

And yet, over and over again, we are reminded that beauty and magic unfold in the dark. A seed is planted in the dark of the soil. In that darkness, it is transformed to unleash the potential living inside it. Potential that could not be discovered in the light.

A seed is deposited into the dark of a womb and there it is transformed to create life. A definite form of magic that could not happen in the light.

We need the dark, we need uncertainty because that is where the magic lives. In embracing uncertainty, we discover new and unexpected gifts.

In not needing to know all the answers, unexpected solutions can arrive. I have experienced this in my life often over the years, most recently just last week.

Unexpected delights

I’ve been pondering a decision I need to make soon. It’s been on my mind a lot, but I also know that I am several months away from that decision. So, I’ve been reminding myself, that’s not the decision in front of me today.

And then in a conversation with a fairly new friend, an unexpected option presented itself. I don’t yet know if it’s the right solution but the sheer unexpectedness of it delighted my heart. I would never have considered it. No way for it to have crossed my mind.

I believe it was my willingness to hold the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what will happen that allowed this beautiful option to present itself.

That’s the kind of magic that lives inside of uncertainty. A chance to remember that we don’t have to do things alone. The Universe IS conspiring on our behalf.

Uncertainty offers a chance for us to be delighted. A chance to experience awe and wonder, something I think too few of us experience with any kind of regularity.

Surrender to not knowing

If you are in a season of uncertainty, if you have too much in front of you and you don’t know where to begin, try letting go of the need to know exactly what will happen.

Release control trusting that Spirit/the Divine/the Universe (whatever word works for you) is with you and working for you. Believe that what is for you cannot miss you and then listen.

Listen for the baby step that might move you in a direction you were not expecting. Listen for the answer that could never have come to you any other way but in the act of your surrender.

And stay present. Be with what is NOW, not what might be in the future. It is in the here and now that the path forward will reveal it.

Trust the magic of uncertainty. Beauty and wonder are waiting for you there.

From my heart to yours,

P. S: If you’re feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty and you’d like support to find your way forward, let’s talk. Click here to schedule a complimentary call where you can discover what your next steps might look like for you.