We'll See

In this talk, we explore two simple words that can make a surprisingly big difference when you're worrying about the future: 'we'll see'.

Drawing on the principles of Karma Yoga and non-attachment, we look at what is within our control and what isn't, and how much time, energy, and mental bandwidth we can spend trying to control outcomes that are outside of our control.

We'll also explore why letting go of an outcome doesn't mean that you don't care about it and why difficult experiences can sometimes lead somewhere we could never have predicted.

You'll come away with a simple practice for those moments when your mind is racing ahead, trying to predict what will happen next, going from argh to ‘we’ll see’!

Transcript

We'll see. What a potentially wonderful little phrase. We'll see. But before we look at how to practice a bit more we'll see Let's talk about why this could be a good idea. You have a finite amount of time, Mental bandwidth and energy. So being mindful of where you spend these valuable resources is incredibly important. If you're trying to control things that are outside of your control, Rather than accepting that they're outside of your control, Then you're spending your valuable resources in a way that doesn't give you any benefit at all. There's an ancient school of yoga called Karma Yoga. You're probably familiar with the word karma already, And you might think about it as meaning like retribution or what goes around comes around. Actually, Karma is a Sanskrit word and it simply means action. And Karma Yoga asks you to be aware of the things that you can control, Which are your thoughts, Your spoken words, And your physical deeds, Your actions. This is really important. These three things, Your thoughts, Words, And actions, Are the only things that you have control over. The rest, Well, You have to wait and see. And if a large portion of your valuable resources is being spent on trying to control things that are outside of your thoughts, Your spoken words, And your actions, That's going to be a really big drain on your time, Your energy, And your mental bandwidth. And the other thing about this, Which I think is really, Really important food for thought, And this comes out of the journal prompt that we ask our yoga teacher trainees to journal about as they're preparing for training. Think about a time in your life when something was happening that was rubbish, And if you could have stopped it, You would have. Butt. Now you look back on it. Actually, That really rubbish thing led to some good things. Maybe you found out how strong you are. Maybe you learnt a new skill. You unearthed a new talent. You travelled somewhere new. You met some special and so on. So with that in mind, Isn't it actually really wonderful that we can't and don't control our future or what other people say or do? Because if we could, We would have missed out on those huge silver linings that came out of that rubbish situation. So now you know the benefits of we'll see. But how on earth is it actually possible to start to implement this in life? Well. . . Let's start here. When you find yourself worrying about something, Just pause. Take a deep breath. And ask yourself. What about this situation that you're worried about is within your control? If you have an interview next week and you're really worried about how it'll go, Well, That's kind of within your control, Right? You can plan and you can prepare and you can practice. You can iron your shirt. You can make sure that your journey there has plan B and C. You can give yourself the best possible chance. But if you're really worried about what the weather is going to be like next month, That's not within your control. What is within your control, Technically speaking, Is how much you let yourself worry about it. And here we can use the principle of Pratipaksha Bhavana from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. When you're thinking something negative, Think something else. So if you're finding yourself worrying about what the weather will be like next month, You can gather up your attention and place it somewhere else. On your breath, You on your body. On a mantra, Any meditation or mindfulness tool that will help you move your attention away from worrying about the weather. Be really kind to yourself. Implementing something like this is behavioural change and it takes time and patience and lots of practice. Congratulate yourself on every single win, However small, And don't give yourself a hard time when you're back to worrying about things that aren't in your control rather than wondering, We'll see. This will be a strong neural pathway and it'll take time to break. And you know, When something happens that is so totally different to what you hoped would happen, Forcing yourself to think, We'll see, It could be spiritual bypassing, Which is bypassing your valid human emotions because you're aware of this spiritual concept. So be kind to yourself. And be mindful of your thoughts and emotions, And work to welcome will-see into your thinking toolbox. Maybe the story isn't finished. You went to the interview. You planned, You prepared as best as you could but you didn't get the job. We'll see. I wonder what's around the corner. A relationship ended. Oh, That's sad. It's probably really sad I've been there. But how about, Hmm, We'll see. I wonder what's next for me. It could be another relationship. It could be travelling somewhere new, Learning something new about yourself and so on. Will say is not, Not caring about the outcome. You'll care, Of course you will, And you should. But we'll see allows us to loosen our grip on the outcome. And you never know that might free you up to enjoy the process, Maybe. And at the risk of saying something really, Really annoying, The outcome will be the same whether you spend days worrying about it or not. And so wouldn't it be wonderful to have access to that spare time? Mental bandwidth and energy. When we introduce into our thinking. We'll see. I really hope that you found that useful and some real food for thought. This can be something that you can weave into your self-reflection, Your yoga practice, Your meditation. If you want any help or guidance, Please do reach out. I'd love to help. And as always, Happy practicing.