Lifeblog: Unclear Destinations, Indefinite Ends, and all about Uncertainty (March 2014)

Hello Readers!

It has been two whole months I had not seen myself logging in to my own blog... I hope you all are keeping well!

This post is one more to the collection of "Lifeblog" posts, that I have on this site. The title? Well, I guess it's one that "says it all". You don't know where Life is taking you, so the "Destination" is unclear... There is no real "End" or "finality" to the events that keep happening... And there is a lot of uncertainty.

Photo by Santhosh Muraleedharan

Let me be fair to myself: I have evolved very positively as a person in many ways. I do realize that, yes. In other words, my reactions to the various events and happenings that have surrounded me have been quite good, in my own assessment. This differences can be noticed in the way I have written my Lifeblog posts in the past few years.

But still, throughout this entire journey called "Life", I have this tendency to often ask myself the following question: "Where is Life really taking me?"

And it is indeed not a good tendency, I realize.. Life is not a boat ride, or a "rollercoaster ride" (like I have called it many times in the past), where there is a fixed end and a fixed journey to be followed. They may have been adequate analogies in the past, but now it is all about embracing all the bad surprises, embracing the amount of good news, and embracing all the uncertainty that is Life.

Let's face it: I'll never know where "this boat is heading to", and I'll never know "how the journey will end", so what's the point of even asking myself "Where is Life really taking me?"

The Ups and the Downs have been pretty drastic for me in the past few years... there are times where you feel like giving up, and there are times where you feel like running away from all the problems... but thankfully (and hopefully for you) they are just a "feeling". Because it's when you fight hard to make things alright for yourself again, that things eventually get alright. Giving up is then only a "thought", and never an option. Running away is just an escapist alternative, never the actual decision.

And that's where my point is - Embracing the Uncertainty, is what will make the "journey" more enjoyable. And how do you embrace such a weird concept? By just accepting how things are, and being happy for what you have! The more you expect, the more Life disappoints. So do not expect anything, and if you have set goals for yourself, work hard to reach them, but don't "expect" a perfect victory... and don't dishearten yourself with the "failure" in mind. Instead, keep an open mind to all types of results.

That may seem like a harshly realistic approach, and to some it may even seem pessimistic, but I never said "No" to optimism either! Learn to smile, to look at things positively, to appreciate the good side of things... but do it reasonably. As I said before, the more you expect, from people, or even from Life.. the more there are chances that you will end up being disappointed. But then if you prepare your mindset in advance with the thought that "Things might not really work out", even adopting an optimistic approach shouldn't end up making you a disappointed person in the end.

And that's what I do. I mostly look at things very optimistically and very positively, and if things go wrong I reassure myself and I accept that "the possibility of failure was always there". But the fun in being an "optimist" is when things go well! That feeling that "YES! I KNEW THINGS WERE GOING TO GO WELL!" is one of the best in the world.

That belief in "good luck" or God (or whatever you want to call it) also contributes a lot in people believing in an "external factor" that will help them succeed... For me "God" is far beyond an "external factor that helps", but I like using this analogy to explain how a simple belief can help you feel more confident and more prone to success.

I'll end this Lifeblog post with the following famous quote: "Fortune favours the brave."

I find it very hard to comprehend the true meaning of this quote. But I realize that in the context of this post, the Uncertainty can be a good one if you dare to take a courageous step forward. Of course there is a Risk in taking that step... but if you know what the Risk is, even if it is a negative outcome, you will be fine in the end. Because you KNOW what to expect.

All this is to say that Embracing the Uncertainty is my new approach to Life. And this approach has been helpful to me in many ways. So if you, the readers of this post, have this same doubt "Oh where is Life taking me?", because of a tragic event in the family, or a breakup with a boyfriend/girlfriend, or just plain bad luck that keeps surrounding your Life... just know that the more you question it, the more it will pain you. So there's no point in questioning it.

The Destination may be Unclear, The End may be Indefinite, but there is one thing that is constant about Life: Change. (As said by Greek philosopher Heraclitus himself)

So Embrace the Uncertainty, the Unpredictability and the Changes in Life. And be grateful for what you have!

Have a great year ahead, all!

Santhosh