Trusting The Certainty Of Uncertainty

Uncertainty. It’s a given in life. We have no idea what is coming next, yet we spend our energy trying to predict. Cara offers a simple reminder to be okay with uncertainty. Get comfortable with not knowing and watch your energy soar.

Transcript

I was reminded recently of a term, A phrase, My one of my first yoga teachers used to say all the time, Step, Step, Don't know. Those words, Wise words came from Beryl Bender Burch. And she was like Beren Baptiste, One of my first yoga teachers. Step, Step, Don't know, She would say all the time. Why do you need to know what's coming next? You know, To this day, This is 25 years ago that I first heard that. And I still remind myself, Why do you need to know? You can't possibly know what's going to happen. Give it up, Kara. Step step don't know. For me, Honestly, I worry. I'm a warrior. It's one of the reasons why I wake up at 3. 30 in the morning, And my mind starts going. What's going to happen? How is this going to turn out? I've got a lot of uncertainty in my life right now. And I'm sure you do as well. And that is basically the only thing that we can be certain of, Is being uncertain of the future. I mean, Let's face it, Nobody could have ever predicted COVID, A quarantine, A pandemic, You know, Completely changing our lives on a dime, Wearing masks. I mean, We could never have predicted it. So why do we feel the need to have to predict everything? I'm just asking that question because, Believe me, I am right there with you. Pema Chodron, One of my favorite meditation teachers, She talks about uncertainty all the time. She says, Becoming friends with uncertainty is part of the spiritual path. She says that becoming friends with the uncertainty is part of the spiritual path. We can't possibly have all of our ducks in a row and know exactly what's going to happen in the next moment, In the next hour, In the next day, The next year. So for me, I will be honest with you, Knowing those things that roll around in my mind that caused me to worry, And just naming them is really helpful. Because I can recognize this is where I worry. This is where I'm trying to predict the future. And this is where I have to let go because I have no idea. So for me, It is around my children, My girls. And my girls are in their mid-20s. I mean, They are in flux, Big time. I have no idea where they're going to live, Where they're going to end up. I have no idea who they're going to partner with, If they're going to partner. I have no idea if they're going to have children, If I'm going to be a grandmother. I have no idea. Yet those concerns roll around in my mind at 3. 30 in the morning. And so I have to remind myself to give it up. Step, Step, Don't know. Find yourself, All you can do is take the next step forward in life. You can't possibly know how everything is going to turn out. The suffering comes from trying to make the uncertain certain, From trying to predict, From trying to direct all the time. Easier said than done, No doubt, My friends, Easier said than done. The other things that make me roll this stuff around or worry is the fact that we don't have a home. We are house free. We are living a couple of months at a time at different places. And so for me, I often grasp out there, Where am I going to live? Where's my community going to be? What's going to happen? I mean, That's a big deal. I mean, That's a big deal to not know where you're going to live. But listen, I've put myself in this place deliberately, And it won't be forever. And that's what I say. This won't be forever. This won't be forever. And we'll know where to land when it's time to land. So another thing for me to worry about, But yet I'm aware of it. And I tell you this because I'm encouraging you to name what you're uncertain about, To name what you worry about, To bring light, To bring it forward so that it doesn't just live in the back of your mind until it's 3. 30 AM, And it decides to show itself so you can think about, Know it now. What are you uncertain about? Naming it really helps. And then just remind yourself, Step, Step, Don't know. Step, Step, Don't know. It is really okay to not know. In fact, It is the one thing we can be certain about. We have no idea what's going to happen next. I hope this was helpful. I hope a little bit of my internal dialogue is helpful to bring forth yours and to bring it up and out so that we can work with it. This is the path of awakening. This is the path of really living intentionally and deliberately and with peace and with ease, Most of the time at least. All right, I'm out of time today. Have a fantastic one, My friend.

Reviews

Most of my anxiety comes from " needing" to know all outcomes. You have put it in perspective. My anxiety or fear is of my own making and I alone can stop it. 🙏