“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”
– Shunryū Suzuki
I used to want to know everything.
Maybe it was because of the heavy focus placed on intelligence growing up, but I thought that if I knew everything, I could never be surprised. If I always had the answer, I’d never be wrong. If I was always certain about everything, I’d never be uncertain about anything.
What a faulty way of thinking!
Yes, uncertainty can make us feel unstable, but it’s important to recognize that uncertainty keeps us moving forward – you can’t know what isn’t yet known.
How boring life would be if you already knew everything!
Even before we understood the severity of the double-deuce drop that was 2020, I had decided to make that the year I got comfortable with discomfort. I think 2021 will be the year I get comfortable with not knowing. I know it will take practice, and I wouldn’t say I’m always comfortable with discomfort, but I am more aware of how I’m feeling in those discomforting moments, and I’m becoming more and more aware of how I react to not knowing something.
By being comfortable with not knowing we are able to open ourselves up to all possibilities. The person who is only comfortable with a Reuben sandwich will never know the delicious delights of a Cuban.
Today, Five Minutes in the Morning encourages us to list ten things we don’t know or don’t understand – from black holes to doughnut holes.
Then, pick one thing from your list and make it a goal to learn more about it this year.
Here’s my list, and because I’m eXtRa, I’m gonna try to learn more about each:
- The stock market
- Reality transurfing
- Vedic astrology
- How chalk is made
- How not to take things personally
- Attachment styles
- Vehicle maintenance
- Taxes
- Generational trauma
- Fasting
Have a wonderful Tuesday, dear reader!
And in case no one has ever told you, it’s okay not to know something. Ignorance doesn’t have to be a permanent state.
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