One of the greatest gifts you could ever give yourself is the commitment to sit in discomfort, to lean in when you fall on your face, to push outside your comfort zone daily, and to relish in knowing that uncertainty is not something to fear but rather something to embrace with curiosity and excitement.
On average, we each assess whether to move forward or pull back from our object of attention 5X per second. "Should I lean in to this person or back away? Should I commit more to this moment or move on to the next? Should I push harder or start to slow down?" Uncertainty is so unsettling because this assessment becomes even murkier when there are more unknowns in the equation. We are hardwired to fear the unknown. It is a potential threat, it carries potential harm, it brings a lot of "what-ifs".
Life is not easy, but that is what makes it so beautiful. Helen Keller said,
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
When we try to avoid, deny, or diminish our sadness, our vulnerability, our struggle, we are only doing ourselves a disservice. When we deny our truth we end up being defined by it. But when we embrace it, allow ourselves to feel it, swim in it, explore it, and reflect through our struggle, we end up owning our story rather than our story owning us.
What unknown in your life today can you embrace with a little more excitement, love, and surrender? Where can you offer yourself a little more compassion, a little more space for breath, a little more time sitting in discomfort?