The Unforeseen
This day didn't start off great. I was supposed to be working in the archipelago, which I love, but someone had forgotten to book a boat for me. I was supposed to be on the island at 8:30 AM, but the mistake meant I would arrive at 11:30 AM instead.
Three hours wasted, and I was supposed to visit six different clients. I could just see myself coming home very late, if I even managed to catch the last ferry back.
Once I got there, it turned out that all the houses were close to each other. The houses were also small, so each visit was short. When I was finished with the last customer, she offered to drive me back to the mainland in her boat.
The day ended with me finishing ridiculously early.
So, why am I telling you this? Because it's so incredibly stupid to paint scenarios in advance when we don't actually have a clue. We imagine how...
- ...the workday will be long.
- ...the job interview will go badly.
- ...the family dinner will be stressful.
- ...the date will be awkward.
- ...the weather will be a disaster.
And then it turns out in the end that those thoughts weren't accurate at all. The sun came out and during the job interview, it turned out that we had a mutual friend, so it felt very relaxed and good.
It's so much unnecessary time and energy that we spend trying to predict what hasn't happened yet. Things we can't possibly know in advance.
Of course, it's good and even necessary to plan certain things in advance. To do your research and prepare. But it easily gets out of hand or is used when it doesn't serve any sensible purpose.
We might tell ourselves that "you want to be prepared for the worst," but is that really a wise strategy? Isn't it better, sometimes, to face the future with an open mind and open arms? That attitude in itself might even increase the chance that it all ends in a surprisingly positive way.
Let’s embrace the unknown and see where it takes us.