It’s human nature to crave predictability. Our basic needs for food, shelter, water, love, and security often drive us to seek stability and hold onto the status quo. When life feels steady, we feel comfortable. Of course, there are those who thrive on risk and seek out change, but for most of us, uncertainty—especially around fundamental needs like housing or employment—can feel unsettling, even overwhelming.
Here’s another undeniable truth: life is inherently uncertain. Even in periods of calm,
unpredictability is woven into the fabric of our existence. We can’t control the weather, avoid natural disasters, or guarantee outcomes like landing a dream job or getting accepted into our top-choice school. New ventures, career changes, and bold decisions all come with risk. Yet, many of life’s most meaningful moments require us to take the first step without knowing exactly where the next one will lead.
Starting a new relationship, for example, means trusting someone before you know how it will unfold. Marriage, no matter how confident we are in the decision, comes with no assurances of how long we or our partner will live. But without taking that leap, we risk missing out on love, growth, and connection. The same is true of parenthood—we have no guarantees about who our children will become or the challenges we’ll face as a family, yet many choose this uncertain path for the joy and fulfillment it brings.
A personal experience taught me a valuable lesson about uncertainty. When I was 23, I
occasionally babysat for a coworker who played in a symphony. One night, she returned home late, and I found myself driving through a blizzard in the middle of the night. The snowfall was so heavy that it created a whiteout. The road was invisible—no lines, no tracks, just a blur of snow. With no other cars around to guide me, I felt lost and terrified. As panic set in, I tried everything to navigate—rolling down my window, sticking my head out—but nothing helped. Then, in the chaos of that moment, a voice in my head calmly said: “Don’t focus on what you can’t see. Focus on what you can see.”
I slowed down and began concentrating solely on the few inches of road visible in front of my car. Instead of worrying about the obscured distance ahead, I focused on that narrow patch of clarity. Inch by inch, I made it home safely. I don’t know if it was divine intervention or simply my inner guidance, but that moment has stayed with me as a powerful metaphor for life. When faced with uncertainty, focusing on what’s directly in front of us—the small, clear steps—can lead us forward, even when the bigger picture remains unclear.
So, what’s your next small step? You don’t need to see the whole road to move forward. Trust the process, Focus on what’s visible now, and Take that step today.
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