“I just want to know what is going to happen.”- Almost Everyone You Know
Perhaps not those exact words, but certainly similar words with the meaning behind them. We all inherently want to know where we are going and what we are doing at some point. Predicting the unknown to make it a known is what makes us feel safe, right? If I make a decision, I want to know it’s going to lead me to the land of joy, no matter what.
As a professional counselor, I have the luxury of listening to people’s stories all day long. I ride the emotional roller coaster with them while watching the events that transform their every thought and move at that time in their lives. We navigate the endless fears that come from the nonstop unknowns they face. For me, it’s like watching an ongoing movie wondering how it’s going to play out, on the edge of me seat, holding out for the happy ending. My job is to help them see the life preservers that are slightly out of their view and the flowers that are waiting to be made into bouquets that grow right of the mud. If you pay close enough attention, they are absolutely everywhere.
Because of my years of experience of watching and listening to others, as well as living my own roller coaster of a life, I have become quite adapt at predicting the future. Sometimes the movies become so obvious to me, I want to fast forward and tell them how it’s going to end, but I know that’s not actually my role. So we watch together, take the dark and windy turns, hold our breaths and exhale and laugh when we rewind and see all the parts where we questioned what would happen next. And I am always honored to be an invited guest in the portion of their life I’ve been included in.
I will share with you what I’ve learned over the years as fact. And I encourage you to consider this practice as you hone in on your natural predictive capabilities.
As a human, you have likely questioned your decisions at times and include all the possibilities of what can go wrong and how to avoid them. Your predictions may include “what if I lose all my money or security or get hurt or sick or am rejected or worst of all…am embarrassed in front of others! And suddenly our minds run us into dark alleys with creatures from foreign lands that had nothing to do with our original concern. The thought train of fear. We’ve all bought the ticket at some point.
We know fear is immobilizing. We know it stops us in our tracks. And yet often, we think of our fear as keeping us feeling secure, even if it makes us feel insecure. We’re funny like that. We want a guarantee of the outcome so we can plan accordingly. How can we make a solid, safe decision without knowing? Continue Reading...