Be At Peace With Not Knowing
“It’s not knowing that drives you mad.” ~ Jenny Valentine
Uncertainty can be unsettling. Our minds tend to always be pondering what’s going to happen next. And for those who crave stability, the fear of the unknown can lead to feelings of anxiety. Anxiety creates the desire to control. People. Situations. Outcomes. The need to control can lead to poor decisions, creating unwanted circumstances and, consequently, compounding those feelings of anxiety. Life never goes exactly the way you envision in your mind. Even when the result works out in your favor, there will be some deviation from how you imagined it would happen. For this reason, flexibility is a must. There will be times when you’ll need to release your chokehold on a situation, allowing it to breathe & manifest on its own.
“I think on some level, you do your best things when you’re a little off-balance, a little scared. You’ve got to work from mystery, from wonder, from not knowing.” ~ Willem Dafoe
It’s common for many to do their best work at the last minute. Stress, combined with the fact that procrastination is no longer an option, creates a laser-like focus on the task at hand. There’s no time to overthink because time is of the essence, allowing creativity to flow unhindered. Flowing into the unknown creates the opportunity for so many possibilities to organically present themselves. When solutions become the goal, more emphasis is placed on creativity than the unknown.
“I am learning that in life it is OK to travel in darkness, not knowing what your next move is.” ~ Cobie Smulders
No one likes to feel in the dark, but the older I get the more comfortable I become with not knowing what’s going to happen next. I’m okay with not knowing what I’m going to do next. I don’t feel the need to be in control of every situation. I’m learning to allow life to reveal itself to me. Some of the best opportunities spawn from unexpected places. The expression “the thing that led to the thing” is extremely applicable to our lives. You never know when the pursuit of one thing will lead you to something better. Something life changing. You must learn to be at peace with not knowing. You don’t need to have all the answers. Just know it’s all going to work out in your favor in God’s timing.
“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.” ~ Gilda Radner
If we knew everything that was going to happen in our lives, what would be the purpose of living? It’s the uncertainty that makes life compelling. If we knew the outcome in advance, the pursuit of goals would lose their zeal. It’s the unknowing that makes the effort worthwhile. Challenges facilitate growth, and our growth would be stunted because we would be less likely to pursue goals we knew we were destined to fail. Embracing the unknown can be liberating. When you let go of the urge to manipulate every situation, you create space for the miraculous to occur. You must learn to master the art of knowing when to let go and let things play out without your interference. You never know where God may be trying to lead you.
*Affiliate Link
Follow Terrance L. Moore on Instagram