Episode #124 Accept The Mystery
There are equal parts fear and joy in that which we do not know. This week, Dr. Michael Brown and Russell Catania discuss the role of certainty, control, and choices in navigating our complex world.
Show Notes
As the parent of nine children, I want to know the answers. But it’s also kind of fun to watch them grow. There’s a mysteriousness to, "Where will they end up? Who will they become?”Dr. Michael Brown
Five Problems
- One of the few certainties in life is that there will always be uncertainty.
- We are entirely incapable of predicting the future.
- Every answered question seems to create dozens of new questions.
- A preoccupation with the future often distracts us from the present.
- Mystery is typically more fun when it is fictional than when it affects our present reality.
Seven Principles
- Uncertainty is often unsettling, but it doesn’t need to be that way.
- We cannot predict the future, but we can always plan for it.
- When we accept in our hearts and minds that there are things we cannot know or control, it frees us to focus on the here and now.
- Our hopes and dreams for the future become much less overwhelming when they are broken into bite-sized daily decisions.
- Some of the questions that feel so mysterious are not quite as complex as we think.
- We can choose to appreciate the wonder of the unknown rather than feeling threatened by it.
- Mystery makes life beautiful and relationships special.
Three Practices
- Surrender to the reality that not everything is black-and-white, that there is so much more gray area than you would tend to believe.
- Develop a stable sense of identity in order to remain grounded through all the twists and turns that life brings.
- Create space in your schedule for spontaneity.
In This Episode
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