Get Curious

When You Just Don’t Know

I could tell from our very first conversation that this was a woman who likes to take charge.  She was known at work for her ability to make things happen.  As she told me her long-term plans to pursue a bold new endeavor, she acknowledged that sometimes she could be impatient.  In fact, dealing with the unknowns caused her some anxiety and even insomnia.  Although she was excited about the changes she was putting into motion, not knowing exactly how everything would turn out made her uncomfortable.

I’ve heard Tony Robbins talk about the dichotomy of two competing human needs: the need for certainty and the need for uncertainty.  In life, we want a little of both and when the scale tips too far in one direction, we feel off balance.

An Opportunity

What is good about not knowing?  I asked the woman (mentioned above) this question.  She thought a moment and then said, “Well, I like the challenge of having to figure things out and it gives me the chance to do that.  Actually, it could be an exciting time.”

Not knowing is an opportunity to be open and to stay alert for signs and guidance — not in a superstitious way, but with a calm awareness and sense of trust.

Not knowing is the gateway to:

Imagining and creating a new approach
Becoming more open and letting go
Embracing the way life supports you
Connecting to a higher power
Living with anticipation.

Get Curious

I was once told that, as a coach, one of the best things I can do for my clients is to instill a sense of curiosity — to help others “get curious” about their own lives.  This means living with anticipation and allowing things to unfold in due time.  It is also realizing that everything can serve to move us forward if we are willing to learn.

Consider how you might practice “being okay with” the unknowns in your life.  How will you take advantage of the opportunity that these wait-and-see periods provide to wonder, imagine, and dream?

“…be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart
and… try to love the questions themselves…”
 -Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet