Living With Uncertainty
As humans, we seem to have an insatiable desire or need to be in control. We want to know what’s going to happen and make sure it happens the way we think is best. To say we are “control freaks” is a classic understatement. We want certainty and predictability in all things—our jobs, our families, the stock market, traffic, and so on.
But life just doesn’t work that way. We control very little of anything even when we have deluded ourselves into thinking otherwise. Many say that control is an illusion. Therefore, certainty is a pipe dream and uncertainty is life.
How can we handle this?
- Face and embrace the reality that life is pretty much entirely uncertain. Stop swimming against the tide of reality.
- Stop framing uncertainty as necessarily bad; your way may not be so good after all.
- Focus on what is within your control. Being honest here will lead you to understand that the only thing you can control is pretty much yourself and not even that consistently.
- Think of life as an adventure filled with surprises and serendipity vs a checklist or a concrete path.
- Recognize fear and worry as mind killers. Eliminate them from your life.
These things won’t make life more certain. They will, however, enable you to set your sails to make the most of the life God gives you.