The 1 Thing You Must Remember When The Future Seems Unclear

Call it what you want — the dark night of the soul, a transition period, writer’s block, a new adventure, or rock bottom — but every journey has a bend in the road. And, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t see what’s around the corner. The future is unclear.

In whatever liminal threshold of life you may find yourself in, it is natural to focus on the unknown —but take heart and remember that in every unknown, there is always something known.

I was recently given a dream where I was standing at such a bend, looking at a snow covered road, beautiful trees on both sides, which obscured the view ahead. I noticed a feeling on my shoulders: it was my Burton Tinder Pack sitting comfortably against my back. I had boots. I was dressed warmly, appropriately, for the weather. And yet, one thing I noticed was absent: a heartbeat.

Isn’t that what fear does to us: it paralyzes us. We think to ourselves, “I’m just going to die if…” or, “I can’t even imagine what will happen…”

There was no movement in this dream, except the snowfall. And then, the most peculiar thing happened, in this dream, as one word appeared before my self. It was the word unknown.

The more I looked at myself looking at that word, I recognized a simple, anagrammatic reality: it was the word known.

In every unknown, there’s always something known.

The unknown can feel bigger, heavier, or scarier than anything you’ve experienced before: but the truth is, you have history and experience on your side!

This is for the entrepreneur waiting to buy that domain, the author with a submission in your inbox, or the student looking at a million options. This is for you with the quirky ideas or you with the innovative dream.

Consider what you already know: your strengths, your weaknesses, your best friend, your passions, your prayers, your favorite song. You may not know your next move, but you know where you came from. I have found that looking at the known actually transforms my feelings about the unknown; what can feel like a nightmare, begins to feel like an adventure.

You can embrace the unknown with confidence because of what you already know! So, look hard at the bend ahead, see what’s already there, and feel your heart beat once again — your feet will follow.