When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what you do and no longer prevents you from taking action to initiate change. The Roman philosopher Tacitus rightly observed that “the desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.” If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased awareness, alertness, and creativity. – Eckhardt Tolle, A New Earth
(This quote is one of the reasons I had the courage to start this website.)
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Thanks for sharing, Laura! That helps me tremendously. When people write quotes like this, they are generally on the “other side” of whatever uncertainty they went through. In A New Earth, Tolle talks about quitting his academic career in England, moving to California, and exhausting all of his funds writing his first book (Power of Now, I think). He bought a lottery ticket and won enough money for another month. And, well, it obviously all worked out for him!
I know everyone’s life is always uncertain but some periods are more obviously uncertain than others. That’s where I am, so this week’s topic is very personal to me!
This quote really resonates with me! Years ago, when I quit my job to become self-employed, I was terrified… but quickly found that although I didn’t know if I would succeed, I certainly noticed a lot more opportunities coming my way. It also made me work a lot harder for what I wanted. Then I lost a lot of my fear. I joined Toastmasters 5 years ago to polish up my public speaking and completely lost my fear of giving public presentations. After that, fear has had very little hold on me. And I *do* notice a lot more possibilities available to me! It’s magnificent.