We are living in uncertain times, and I’ve heard people repeat over and over that they just want to get back to normal. I can remember just a little while back when people were hoping to move forward into something new.

As a coach, that’s what I do. I help people to move forward. We focus on a vision to take them somewhere new, from where they are to where they want to be. Why do people love the coaching that we do at Lifeonaire?  Because they don’t want to stay where they are, they want to experience life differently. They want something new, they want to enjoy the journey.

Today, I’m working with a number of people who say they want to go back.  They just want what they once had, forgetting that they were unhappy with what they had just a short time ago. They were trying to change their patterns, the way that they lived. Sometimes, they wanted change for good reasons. 

But now that things are changing they would like to go back to “normal”, even though they didn’t like normal when they had it.  

What is normal?

For most people, normal happens to be familiar, whether it is right or wrong. They’re comfortable with normal because they know what it is, even if it isn’t the right thing for them. There’s a certainty with normal.

So is it normal that people are really seeking? Or is it certainty that they seek?

Certainty is definitely a desire that drives most people. Even those who claim to thrive in uncertainty don’t like feeling out of control.

I believe that uncertainty is so uncomfortable and fear inducing that it can make all that’s wrong with life seem right.  In order to have certainty, many would rather go backwards and settle for what they don’t truly want.

What if we’re never going back to normal? 

Are you going to spend your energy in the future trying to get back to where you didn’t want to be?

Why not take that energy and embrace the future, certain or uncertain?

Some of you are distraught because you had a plan.  You were on the fast track to something new and it feels like COVID has disrupted everything.  Perhaps it doesn’t feel like a detour, it feels like a road block.  You want to go back to a familiar road, but it’s the same road you were speeding away from.

Like any human being, there are times that I fear uncertainty as well.  Normal—whether right or wrong—is certain, and I sometimes feel like going back.  However, as soon as COVID started changing the way we live, I worked to embrace the changes to come, sometimes having to coach myself to do so. 

I’ve spent much time each day contemplating the uncertainty that lies ahead.  I sense that something new is brewing, and there’s an excitement that comes from it.  My vision for life was either rocked, or it just became more clear.  How I view it is up to me.  I see COVID as a catalyst to bring my vision to fruition more quickly.  Going backwards is not an option.

(Note: you can learn more about building your vision and getting clarity on what you want it life and how you want to move forward by checking out this article on the power of a written vision)

What now?

So if you are sitting at a road block, it doesn’t have to be a dead end.  You can choose to turn around and go back to find something familiar.  Or you can sit still for a moment, seek a new path that will take you forward.

There is a path in the midst of uncertainty. It may be narrow, you may not be able to see to far down it. With each step you take the journey will become more clear.  It may not seem easy because it isn’t familiar, but that isn’t a good reason to not do it. 

So don’t spend your energy going back to the place you were hoping to get away from.  Give that same energy to something new. There is an incredible life waiting for you on the other side of the roadblock. Have courage, be bold and take the first step.

Blessings,

Steve