The Joy of Not Knowing

Posted on June 09, 2012 by Liz Wiltzen, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

When’s the last time you were standing in the land of uncertainty, thinking how fantastic it was to not have a clue what was going to happen next?

Does this idea fill you with joy or dread? For most of us it’s a place we go to great lengths to avoid – the less time spent here the better. There seems to be an idea that if we don’t know, it could be bad. In fact if we’re not directing it, it most surely will be.

There is a mixture of fear and anxiety that accompanies the idea of uncertainty, it’s hard wired into us, some left over survival mechanism. What’s crazy about this is we never know. How things will turn out. We can’t. Not ever. Yet the idea that we can is an illusion we cling to for dear life.

And then life keeps on happening. As soon as we have something taken care of, sorted out, dialed in and are breathing a sigh of relief, the next uncertainty presents itself.
It’s More Than Just Us

For every intention we have, for every step forward we take, a million other things are unfolding at the same time. And a number of them will have an impact on what happens next in our world. Because we don’t exist in isolation, we have very limited control over how things unfold. When you think about it, how cool is that? The whole universe is collaborating in the events of our lives – that’s pretty powerful stuff.
Embrace the Mystery

So what if we opened ourselves up to “don’t know”, in wonder at the mystery and the infinite possibility. What if we stopped trying to have such a tight handle on everything, steering earnestly and doing everything we can to keep the train on track. What if instead we rested in the belief that life is inherently good, the universe is on our side, and every experience has value.

Life is a process that continually responds to information – not step by step until it’s done. A wise mentor once taught me that trying to control how everything unfolds is like walking down a hallway slamming doors of possibility closed behind you. No room for life to breathe through you. No room for mystery, magic, infinite, gorgeous happenings far greater than one small self alone could possibly conjure up.

What if you opened yourself up to that?

Good to ponder:
“Faith means living with uncertainty – feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark.” – Dan Millman