Certainty in Uncertain Times

Certainty in Uncertain Times. When life’s storms roar, sometimes it can seem the only certainty is uncertainty.

I hear “everything is just so uncertain” multiple times every day, people seem to be even more focussed on the uncertainty of the future. It is interesting to note that the future has ALWAYS been uncertain. The reality is that we never know what is going to happen tomorrow… we just think we do. In January this year, you probably felt certain what your life would look like today. You were wrong.

Many of us were certain we would be going on wonderful family holidays this year, because we had booked them, paid for them, planned them, etc. Many of us were certain we would be working in our job because we had no intention of leaving or doing anything that would get us fired or retrenched.

We have been walking along the edge of a cliff all along, however, we were more focussed on the path ahead and did not turn our head to see the cliff on our right. Now, something has gotten our attention. We turned our heads and see that we are on the edge of a cliff and of course, we panic. Although we have   always been walking this path, we just didn’t see or focus on the cliff.

Nothing has changed.

So now that we have noticed the cliff, how do we return our focus to the path ahead? How can we be certain now that we have recognised the uncertainty? Mindy Neal, a certified life coach has identified some things that we can be certain of:

You can be certain in who you are.

You can be certain about how you show up in the world.

You can be certain that you are going to be fine because you always are; you always figure it out.

You can be certain that your children are going to be fine. They are strong and resilient. You have taught them well and they will continue to learn through their struggles.

You can be certain that you will offer yourself grace when you do not show up the way you want to. You are human and you are doing your best.

You can be certain that you are going to feel many emotions. It is part of the human experience.

You can be certain that you will always take care of yourself and your family.

You can be certain in how you love those around you.

You can be certain that you will find new ways of doing things in this new normal.

You can be certain that you will get upset with your children and short-tempered with your husband or wife at times, and that is okay.

You can be certain in how you face adversity.

You can be certain that good will come out of this, it always does.

You can be certain your children are going to complain and argue. It does not need to be a problem.

You can be certain that when your children do complain and argue, you still get to choose how you want to respond. You can be calm when they are not.

You can be certain that you will use this time to learn, grow, and progress and become the next version of yourself.

The uncertainty of life has always been there. It will always be there. However, there is so much more certainty.

Be certain.

– Penny Wiele /  School Counsellor