What if this turns out better than expected?

If you can accurately predict the future don't read any further.

I have a very poor track record of predicting the future and I'm willing to bet you do too. That doesn't stop me from expecting a certain outcome. Why is that? Why do we "plan for the worst and hope for the best"? And, how does that habit affect our future possibilities?

What if we lived each day as a wonderful adventure? What if we woke up wondering what amazing things might happen? I also wonder what would happen if we spent a day looking for all the times we could say "Wow, I didn't see that coming!" as though the unknown was an exciting surprise unfolding from one moment to the next.

I bring this up because I see it a lot with myself and the people I help. The last several years I've been building my muscles of predicting less, experimenting more and leaning into a love for the unknown. It's kind of like a "what happens if I push this button" approach to life. It's still uncomfortable because breaking free from one comfort zone just means moving into a different comfort zone...and that's ok. We will always have more adventures that way.

What I hear a lot from clients is "I can't do ___ because of ____." I'm always surprised that they know exactly how things will turn out. Think of the money these people could make telling the future! There's a market for that skill.

Ok, I'm joking around with that, but it's true. We don't actually know what effect our actions will have. I was talking with a client the other day. They were afraid to tell someone what they'd done because they expected that person to react badly. We talked about the situation and I wasn't sure what choice they would make. When I heard back later, they had chosen to fess up and the person responded in a totally kind and surprising way. They didn't see that coming!

When we do things not because of what the anticipated outcome will be, we are free to make choices based on:

1. What works best for us/serves us best
2. What excites us or is fun, inspiring, enriching etc.
3. What makes the most sense in the moment

If we make choices based on avoiding potential problems, we'll never create a future we love living in. We'll create a space of safe zones and land mines. That's not a fun place to be.

So the next time you find yourself saying: 
"I can't because..."
"If I do that this bad thing will happen"
"That won't work because"

Ask yourself:
"Is that really true?"
"What if it turns out better than expected?"

Lots of love to you!
Darlene

*The greatest act of rebellion is living an extraordinary life!*