Life is unpredictable. We never know exactly how everything is going to turn out. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. You may have a detailed plan for taking a vacation in Hawaii, making a garden, remodeling your home, or giving birth to a child. But your mental picture about how you want the future to look rarely corresponds to how it actually shows up in real life.
Every day is a new adventure. Unexpected things happen all the time. Every traveler who is depending on airplane flights know this very well. The key is to stay flexible, adjustable, aware and prepared. It also helps to stay optimistic, adaptable and resilient. Some suggest that we need to learn to “dance with unpredictability”.
Many people believe that if only we plan everything and do the right things in our lives, we’ll get exactly what we want, when we want it. Sometimes this does happen. But more often, just when we think things are going according to plan, our path takes a turn or twist. Something unexpected happens. Our house doesn’t sell when we wanted. That company puts off our consulting contract for three months. When we need to shift our plans to accommodate, we often worry that we have done something wrong to cause things to turn out that way. But that isn’t true! Most of the time we haven’t done anything wrong at all. It’s simply the Unexpected one more time.
One useful approach to dealing with the unexpected is to let life guide us. Other times, it’s wise to grab life by the horns. But one thing is for sure: no matter how organized we are, or how well we plan, no one should be surprised by unusual events. Anything might happen. In fact, my advice is “Expect the unexpected”! I’ll take it one step further and add, “Welcome the Unexpected!”
People who are exceptionally good with welcoming the unexpected possess the inner characteristic of optimism and they seek to transform even the worst situation into a positive life change. Here are 4 suggestions:
- Be flexible
- Be resilient;
- Think outside the box
- Create directions that did not exist before.
“Expect the unexpected” means you can turn the situation upside down and read the story in a completely different way. It’s up to you!
My name is Penny Kowal, I am a Resilience Coach. I have tools, techniques and technology that will help you create a life you will love to live. Reach out if you need assistance navigating the Unexpected.
