The unknown… scared the cheese out of me.
I was the type of person who never liked surprises (unless they were a birthday or vacation surprise).
I hated not knowing what was going to happen next, even though 95% of the time, unexpected things still came my way. But, when I knew I had control of my outcome, I took advantage of it like there was no tomorrow.
Whether it be needing to know the end of the movie or book, I’d spoil myself by checking the ending early; or need to know if I should exert all my energy into this one relationship, I’d have all my walls up for months on end, or needing to know how much would I make myself feel at home at a place I’d stay in for X amount of time, I’d keep the majority of my belongings in luggage to be prepared…All of these (and more) consumed my thoughts almost every day.
Eventually, the need to know and assume my outcomes – big and small – in life grew tiring.
It caused additional stress that I never needed to have. It was weightless baggage that needed to be gone.
So, I released it.
And, let me tell you, I felt so much better.
It was challenging and took months before I was able to minimalize this habit of mine, but it was worth it.
In my opinion, the obsession to know comes from not being in the present moment. It comes from having our minds work overtime thinking too much about the future or too much about our past.
It’s great to think about our future, and it’s also great to remember the lessons we’ve learned from our past, but not to the point where we completely blind our present.
Also, in my opinion, the feeling of wanting to know emerges from fear. The fear of going through situations we don’t want to experience. But, chances are, no matter how much control we have over a situation, we will keep going through experiences that are not as desirable as others.
And that’s okay.
I’ve learned that while wanting to know helps me emotionally prepare for what’s to come, the best results always come when I least expect them. And I actually prefer it when that happens.
I’ve begun letting go of expectations. I’ve begun letting go of the need to know what could happen because if I take too much control, I typically just crash, metaphorically speaking.
Life isn’t set in stone.
Something different happens every second of the day, and that’s what makes life so much more interesting.
When we lessen our need to know, we make room for the universe to give us so much more than we expected.
Whenever you feel like life is unfair to you, think back to the moments when it’s given you more than what you’ve asked for.
The unknown still scares me, but not as much as it used to.
I’ve opened my mind and heart more to the unknown. When an unexpected challenge happens, I know that I’m being taught a lesson. When an unexpected blessing happens, I know that I was ready to receive it and to keep moving forward.
Remember that whatever is meant to be yours is already yours. You just have to be willing to believe and receive them.
The unknown doesn’t have to be so unknown once you’re open to it.
