When you start experiencing those transition periods of life, like graduation, starting a career, or getting married, you may start to feel anxious about your future.
Change can be wonderful and it can also be intimidating. As we're adjusting to change, there are times where we feel uncertain about our future. It's when the reality sinks in that you have no idea what's happening next that you start to panic and lose focus.
Maybe you've just settled into a new job and you're unhappy, but not quite sure how to get out and find a new one. Maybe you just moved to a new city and you're worried you won't find any friends or a new coffee place that you love as much as your old spot. Maybe you just entered a new relationship and you don't really know how to approach things.
Whatever your change may be, you're concerned about the next steps.
I'm here to remind you that when things are out of our control, we have to stop looking toward the future and focus on how we can make the present more enjoyable. Worry is a belief that only the worst can happen. But when you look at your past, you can quickly put that belief to the test.
How often has your worrying affected the outcome? How often has the worst actually played out? If you're like me, the answers are probably never and not often.
But we do have reason to worry. In our lives, we've experienced difficult situations and we don't want those to happen to us again. So when we're unsure of the future, we know that those bad times could be brought up again in a new form.
But you can't live your life in fear of the future. You have to transition your thinking from "what could happen" to "what is happening."
For example, I could focus on feeling like my career is never going to play out how I wanted it to because I took a job that wasn't ideal. Instead, I need to focus on the fact that I was lucky enough to have a job and that this job aligns perfectly with my goals for the future.
While it may not be the situation I'd hoped for, my future is not in ruins because the plans changed. To think that the first year of my professional career would be the predictor of my entire life's work is absurd.
When changes happen and we become anxious about our future, it's time to stop what we're doing and to rethink our attitude. Will you remain unhappy and continually ignore all the good happening right now? Or will you fix your thoughts and see all the amazing things unfolding in your life and appreciate the mystery?
Don't let your fears hold you back from living. Embrace your life as it is and be thankful for what you have. The future will happen in perfect timing and you'll be so amazed at what's in store for you.
