Are you living in a life of certainty?
There is one thing that is ruining our lives and stealing away the happiness we all desire and that is “our search for certainty” If we could overcome this one fear or addiction we would have no reason to stressed
or worried.
It is a fact, that our search for certainty plays a major effect on our emotions, our relationships and how we face life’s struggles. Since we all fear uncertainty we are losing out on seeing our dreams, passions, and aspirations come true.
It is human to fear.
It is human nature to fear the unknown. We fear losing our jobs, having enough money, we have good benefits, that our families will be cared for and the list goes on. Us as humans need to know that what we want to happen will actually do happen. This is called certainty
. We need to know without a shadow of a doubt that all will be ok.
But trust me, we cannot control what happens in our life. Life is filled with uncertainty and at any moment something could happen and our lives will be over. We try everything in our power to hold on to the security of certainty but in the end, certainty will leave us far from what we really desire in life.
In my life, I have had my world rocked by situations that I had no control over. Example, last November I was volunteering for a non-profit fundraiser, I was up on a ladder which is nothing uncommon for me. With a blink of an eye I was crashing down about 10 feet and I came across a banister breaking all my ribs on one side and puncturing a kidney. I was all of a sudden out of commission for several months. This is not something that I could have planned for, or foreseen happening to me. The example just shows that life happens and there is no holding on to certainty for security. Do not, I repeat, do not be addicted to “Certainty”.
Dreams and Aspirations.
What is so awesome about dreams
and aspirations is that they take us to a new realm, to a place that mentally or emotionally
we have never been before.
The unfortunate part is that these dreams and aspirations also take us to an area of uncertainty that is inevitable. And this is what crushes our dreams.
Many people that I talk to run from their dreams because they just can’t bear the world of uncertainty. When they think about their dreams, for them their dreams become nightmares. The fear of uncertainty is so strong that they cannot step out of their comfort zone and take a chance on having a life that they dream of or work towards something that they have a passion for.
Take the risk.
Many people from my past have gone to the grave along with their dreams and passions because they choose a life of certainty and familiarity. These people did not live, they existed. We have been given the free will to dream, have passions, and been given gifts in order to have a life of pleasure. But if we never step away and take a risk or take a peek around the corner on uncertainty we will never be able to use our gifts and enjoy seeing our dreams come true.
Sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it’s not going to protect you from the coming storm.
Barack Obama
There are many factors that are outside of our control in life. Nothing is ever certain like I said above, your life can take a change at any time. Mine sure did.
I know this article is speaking too many of you. Many of you are addicted to certainty and did not realize it. Here are some steps you can take to overcome this addiction.
Steps to help overcome certainty.
1st — Fess up and admit you have this addiction
. You cannot be healed of something unless you admit you have a problem.
2nd — Journal what this addiction has done to you. Journal what you have missed out in life because of your addiction to certainty.
3rd — Write out your dreams and goals. When you put them in ink on paper you can visualize your dreams more easily.
4th — Share your desires to give up the certainty in your life. Find an accountability partner that you can share this with and help you stick to not falling back into the snare of certainty.
5th — Now take a step out of your comfort zone. After you have decided what your dreams and aspirations are, take that first step into the darkness of the uncertain world. Have your accountability partner with you to make this first step. That is why they are there, to help you and guide you and help you not to fall back into certainty.
6th — Share with the world what you have just done. You will have some issues along the way, but your accountability partner will be there for you. Once you get your momentum going, do not look back keep looking forward to your goal.
Conclusion
These are six keys to help you reduce the need for certainty. Times may get ugly and difficult, but stick with your plan, focus on the goal. The more you keep working forward the more new opportunities that will open up for you. Over time, you will see that facing the unknown is scary but playing it safe will keep you shackled from living a life that you dream of.
