What Stepping into the Unknown Has Taught Me

You would think by the time we reached 60 we would have it all figured out. There wouldn’t be a single thing that fazed us or we thought we couldn’t handle. We have experienced so much, made thousands of decisions, some good, some not so good. We have laughed and we have cried, but we have always got through, and somehow reached the other side, even when we started off thinking it was impossible. 

All the Answers?

And here we are now, wise, knowledgeable, experienced through the decades of life, and with all the right answers to every problem that ever will be… 

Oh, but wait, you don’t have them all? 

Well, neither does anyone else! Even those who are incredibly clever, or who live to be a hundred. In truth, we never will. Life just keeps on giving us more problems to solve, and one way or another, we solve them. It is the very essence of the journey, and though we may think we would like life to always be on an even keel, the reality is, solving problems is how we learn and grow, and it is an essential part of living.

Just Take the First Step

Sometimes the problem may seem too hard, the mountain too high, and we may feel overwhelmed by the thought of what lies ahead of us. Perhaps a divorce, serious health issues, the loss of a loved one, money worries? But if we break it down into manageable pieces, we can take one step at a time, and just keep on going. Before we know it, we are halfway there.

When I feel a little overwhelmed by a situation, I often think of this quote from The Horse, The Boy and The Mole:

“Can you see the next step?”

“Yes.”

“Then just take that.”

Manageable Pieces

Imagine you have lived in a large house for many years and are downsizing. To look at sorting and packing everything at the same time could totally overwhelm you. But if you break it down into floors, rooms, or even cupboards, it suddenly becomes more feasible.

The same is true for health. If you have a health problem that seems insurmountable, breaking it down makes it much easier to cope with. Perhaps dividing it into the number of treatments, or the weeks or months ahead. Maybe even planning a treat or celebration for when it is over.

Make Your Wishes Known

We can also take steps to address other things that we find ourselves delaying. I am just finishing putting together an ‘End Of Life’ file for when I am no longer around. I put it off for a long while because I thought it would be morbid and make me sad, but in reality, the opposite has happened.

I no longer worry that my loved ones will have to make decisions at a time when they may be sad or grieving. They won’t need to rummage for my birth certificate, bank details or passport, because they are all safely stashed away in my file. I have also added one of my favourite poems, some music and written a little article that I hope will make them smile :). They will know my wishes.

The one thing we all know when someone is born is that, at some point, we will die. Yet many of us sweep it under the carpet, perhaps thinking it will go away, often leaving the people who care about us with the task of guessing what we would want. Of course, I hope I am around for many more years to come, but I feel so much better knowing this is done.

Accept the Challenge

So whatever challenges lie ahead, both good and bad, don’t fear the unknown. Often, we cannot change things, even if we want to. Accept the challenge and take that first step, then another and another, and before long you will be boldly going where you haven’t been before, and who knows where that could lead to?

Join the Conversation:

Do you procrastinate too much? How do you tackle difficult issues? Have you made an ‘End Of Life’ file?