The Gift of Uncertainty

Our society teaches us to have goals and layout the exact steps to get there. For the longest time, Jackie always thought she had to plan every single element of the goal. She painstakingly thought about every possible scenario. What about this or what about that? How do we mitigate this risk or that risk? That’s exactly what project managers are educated to do, right?

You have all heard the saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson,

“It’s about the journey not the destination.”

Yet few of you ever contemplated what this really means.

Too many of you act as Jackie, rushing from one goal to the next without a single thought on what’s happened along the way. In between hitting each goal and meticulously maneuvering around every obstacle, Jackie successfully reached Vice President of Project Management. The Board of Directors exclaimed her long work hours to help the company reach uber amounts of success and even tripling their bottom-line.

Yet, at what cost?

Jackie’s rise to the top left her sitting there all alone. Her husband that she never saw started cheating on her. Her friends that she used to enjoy happy hours, laughs and card games stopped calling her to hang out. When you forget who you are in process, the journey becomes a rut.

What if you can embrace the uncertainty?

What if you can say I’ll enjoy a dinner on Wednesday night with friends AND be okay with whatever happens at work the next day?

What are you allowing to guide you? What’s best for you? Or what’s best for everyone else?

What if going to dinner with friends leads to an opportunity to meet someone else at the restaurant who offers you insights into a job you love and allows you to enjoy time with friends?

It’s the gift of uncertainty that allows amazing opportunities to be presented to you in unexpected ways. Typically, these opportunities far exceed what ever your stated goal was.

Over ten years ago, I was training for a mountaineering objective to climb Mt. Rainer a technical and enduring 14,000 foot mountain in Washington State. Each weekend, I threw on a heavy pack and hiked in the nearby mountains. Sometimes other mountaineering friends joined me as we all trained for our respective endeavors. One evening after our weekly rock-climbing outing, we all went to dinner. A fellow mountaineer looked at me in the eye, and said, two of my team members dropped off my team. Do you want to join me? Startled as a deer in headlights, I looked directly at my friend who’s mountaineering team I was on. Perplexed how to answer, knowing I committed to the Mt. Rainier team. He said to me, that’s a great opportunity, I think you should take it.

Within 30 seconds, an opportunity of a lifetime transcended into my lap with zero effort. When we let go, opportunities will present themselves effortlessly. When we are stuck controlling the circumstances, we lose out on amazing opportunities the universe is presenting to us.

The greatest gift you can ever receive is enjoyment of the present moment. This uncertainty reveals gifts to you in miraculous ways as long as you’re willing to receive it.

The uncertainty is the journey.

It’s time to stop filling your life with busy work or scrolling through your phone for something to excite you. Allow the universe to present amazing opportunities to you. Enjoy the journey!

Wishing you an abundant, joyful, and prosperous day!

Lora Polowczuk

Chief Energy Officer