Life Is Uncertain

The one certainty about life is that life is uncertain. As much as we want to know what’s going to happen next, we simply can’t. There are too many variables, many of which are out of our control, and as you’ve probably noticed things don’t go exactly according to plan. 

This is interesting because we as humans crave certainty. Our brains are designed to seek comfort, so we default to trying to make calculated choices that lead to more predictable results. This process is informed by our past experiences, learnings, and beliefs to try and create a future that is as certain as possible.

Unfortunately, this often leads us to living the “shoulds” of life - Seeking to meet the expectations of others, to live a particular life’s path, even when you know it’s not authentically yours. It’s the “I should get a solid job with benefits and a pension”, “I should get married and have kids”, “I should be saving more for retirement”. The fear of uncertainty nudges us to look to others and the standards they’ve set to determine our own.

But if you’re being honest with yourself, even that is uncertain. It’s simply more comfortable because you don’t have to feel responsible for your own happiness. But if we recognize that our future is constantly uncertain, then we can take risks and make decisions that feel true to ourselves, and feel more alive and aligned more often.