trust vs. control
Full disclosure, the first portion of this was written way back in May, but I obviously didn’t get much written in the past few months so here we go again :)
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot is our control of what happens in the future. There’s a long list of things that happen, whether or not we want them to. Life has so many unpredictable elements, and I think that that’s part of what makes life amazing, though it also sucks a lot of the time. How much does what we think about and how we think about it affect the direction we move in though? I think we have a lot more to do with what comes our way than we always assume. Obviously, bad things like illness, accidents, or death are going to come and it’s hard to view those as a positive thing, and I’m not saying that’s how far that belief should go. However, I also think that if we’re wanting to grow and experience new things, an opportunity will make itself known, with a bit of getting out of our own way.
Something I’ve thought about is how similar a self-centered prayer and manifestation is, along with long-term plans, vision boards, and any number of other ways we try to influence the future. Because at their core, they change the things we observe more often. It changes the little things we notice. It changes the things we’re thinking about. This makes it a lot easier to see opportunities that might appeal to us. It puts us in the places to have community with people that are similar to us. Just think about how much power we must have in what happens to us, with a willingness to step out of our comfort zone. These sessions of self-reflection also change the priorities that we have. The sacred time of contemplation makes us realize what direction we’re headed in, and if that’s really a route we want to go down. I think that’s a large part of why self-fulfilling prophecies are so common. We are constantly practicing the kind of person we’re going to be, and it’s not always who we want to be.
With all this said, a lot of trust is needed to go about life taking the next step forward without knowing where your foot will land. But again, that’s part of the magic of life. It’s so hard to trust that things will turn out alright, and it can be so scary, but it seems like those are the most rewarding periods and experiences. There’s something so intimidating about changing things about ourselves, stepping beyond what we’re used to, and being willing to experience something new. Yet, it’s one of the most important things for us to keep living and to keep growing, otherwise what are we here for? It’s one of the skills that I’m working on, believing that there are good things coming my way. I find any other way of thinking to be so much more exhausting. I definitely have a hard time being optimistic naturally, but I’m a much better person when I’m expecting the good out of people and experiences than when I’m always on edge. There’s just so many good things that it’s beyond overwhelming to think about; yet, they can be hard to find when we’re stuck in our own little world where everything could be better. They are all around us though, even when they aren’t sticking out to us, and the idea of seeking them out is beyond glorious.
The beauty and horror of life is that we affect our circumstances, our ecosystem, the people around us, and everything in between. Power beyond our understanding is given to us everyday. Unfortunately, we don’t have the foresight to know what the best move for our power is, but any attempt at the right direction is usually rewarded with new experiences and a better understanding of ourselves.
