Facing uncertainties

There are always situations in life where we are uncertain. At such moments we experience a confused present and a hazy future; some people may feel they are at cross roads, unable to find direction in life. Some people even come to a conclusion that they won’t be able to get what they want in life and take extreme steps. How do we face such moments in life?

The solution is to keep moving forward .. and keep moving forward.

We may not be able to see any outcome but taking small steps towards the direction of what we want can give us momentum and wisdom. This experience will help us to find some direction in our life.

A snail was climbing a tall cherry tree. A bird sitting on the top of the tree asked the snail, “Why are you climbing this cherry tree?” The snail replied, “To eat he cherries.” The bird said, “But there are no cherries in the tree.” The snail answered, “By the time I reach the top, there will be cherries.”

Some people are not able to take such small steps during times of uncertainty because they are more concerned about taking the right steps. In these situations we need to give ourselves permission to make a move even if we think the direction may be wrong. We can go ahead with the belief that we can always learn from these steps and correct our course of action if necessary.

In the midst of our uncertain journey we can also use our intuition as a guide. Intuition is “knowing without knowing how we know”. Sometimes trusting intuition can give light and direction to our life. Intuition works well when we are calm and when we allow our inner wisdom to guide us. Think of all the possibilities you have in an uncertain situation and then forget about it or stop thinking about it by changing your focus to some other activity – like playing or gardening, or anything else you like to do. You will experience an insight popping up in the most unexpected movements, words or thoughts and these can be a guiding factor during situations of uncertainty.

Some of us may feel confused during the time of uncertainties. It is because we are more used to a structured way of life and when uncertainty strikes we are not able manage those moments. If we can see these moments as a mystery of life, then we will be able to enjoy these moments. Anxiety of the unknown can be transformed into excitement and curiosity to figure out the mysteries of life.

Imagine you see a small pond. At first, you will see just water. Then if you keep observing for a while, you may see ripples in the water, then perhaps small fish, then plants, tadpoles and many other things could come into focus. During uncertain times, we need to be patient till we are able to see for ourselves, the subtle answers. Remember, this is not a simple, “we are ignorant of the most obvious things of our life” kind of situation. Being patient helps us to see what we did not see or notice earlier.

All of us want to have some amount of certainty in our life – but whether we like it or not, life’s uncertainties cannot be avoided; they need to be lived through.