Living in the unknown. I think that by now it seems very familiar to most of us. Year 2020 brought so many unknowns and it just seems that following year will start in similar way. From ‘normal life’ to sudden pandemic outbreak, from freedom to lockdowns, from world being opened to all to world being limited to most of us. And then sudden changes: trying to switch ‘back to normal’ or searching that healthy balance, followed by unexpected turn in action: new limitations, more unknowns.
From the initial Homecation: Our Travel Back Home, through Lockdown: 11 Life Lessons’ Reminder, now focusing on living in the unknown. That’s when we are out of our habits, when autopilot doesn’t work any more. Unknown is when questions are more than the answers and when we start feeling uncomfortable. In all this, can we feel happy or how to feel happy? What is the secret to happiness in the world of unknown?
LIVING IN THE UNKNOWN WORLD
Let’s do a small travel back in time game. Back to November 2019, exactly one year ago. Would you imagine or guess back then that in 2020:
- most of the countries in the world would be locked down for different time duration
- working from home would be a norm, not an exception or luxury
- students of any age would be encouraged to use more laptops than ever before
- travel industry would be in ‘survival mode’, while furniture industry would reach its peak
- doctors & nurses would be two professions in the biggest global demand ever
- travel would be limited, often impossible, driven by specific categories and guidelines
- people would opt for isolation following specific direction or own judgment
- personal stories of separation would unlimited, lasting months if not longer
- it would be a luxury to organize a wedding
- you and me would not know what will happen in a week time, forget in one month…
Don’t be in such a rush to figure out everything. Embrace the unknown and let your life surprise you.
We all got so many new lessons this year (Lockdown: 11 Life Lessons’ Reminder). And this year isn’t over yet. Guess it is time to embrace the unknown and make best friends with it. Searching for answers, going with a ready plan or fixed mindset might not help. It is time to take the advantage of the unknown. And till we can: enjoy it in its form. Expect the unexpected. And have a bit of fun too.
SECRETS OF HAPPINESS
fear vs curiosity
Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity.
By now you might know that I am more in the favor of spontaneous decisions. Buying a plane ticket few days before the departure, studying about the location only on the plane or simply going with the flow (Just go with the flow: how to trigger it & enjoy?). But somehow there is this second part of me, maybe as I am Gemini, who would like to know, who is too curious about what’s next, what is the upcoming destination, what’s the plan for 2021. Maybe that’s why I am not scared of unknown, but just too curious in nature. So don’t be worried that you don’t know. Be interested instead. It’ still the unknown, but more positive one!
KEEP AIMING
An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it is going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
Does it seem to you that all your pre-pandemic plans and goals disappeared? Ok, if not all, at least half of them? So now it is time to wait, to somehow do less as it isn’t ‘normal life’. Hmm. That might be the initial feeling, of unknown from spring this year. By now, we are in this unknown lifestyle around 9 months. So keep aside answers you don’t have and set yourself some ambitious goals. Or maybe some goals that will add a bit of smile on your face!
Now, as never before, we are in more control of what we eat (assuming we eat less outside in the restaurants, office canteens etc.) – so maybe few less kilograms before year end? How about studying something you always kept aside waiting for the right moment? Or simply, pick up two books from “yet to read” shelf and get immerse in the action!
Important, stay focus and keep aiming!
smile while waiting
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.
There is something so essential and impactful about our mindset and attitude that often nothing can replace it. And this one is also a reminder for myself. Yes, I tend to loose track of it too. Very often I repeat myself this famous saying ‘after every storm comes a rainbow’. So no matter the unknown or difficulty, it will be all fine at the end. And if it is not fine, it isn’t the end yet. Knowing all this… it is better to smile while waiting. Enjoy the moment, no matter what. Living in India I often miss Poland but then I tell myself: this is so unique experience, this is the best thing that could happen to me. It is mid of November, it is 23:00 and outside there are 23 degrees. Just perfect. I can wait. And I chose to wait with a smile.
BUCKET LIST
Stop dreaming about your bucket list and start living it.
Do you remember the post about bucket list? (Bucket List: One Lifetime & Many Dreams) Sometimes we might think that not being able to travel we can’t mark next things on our bucket list, our dreams are somehow on hold. During my last stay in Poland I looked again at 1DEA 100 Bucket List Life Edition that I got for My Better Half. Yes, some items on the bucket list can’t be done during lockdown or some require traveling. However, most of them can be done at home (or outside in isolation) and they are so special and fun too! Just look at these 10 examples below. Select 3 for yourself. That’s your mini bucket list for you from me till the end of 2020. Enjoy!
- Plant a tree
- Read a book in a day
- Spend a weekend without your phone
- Skip work
- Watch IMDB Top 250
- Be silent for a day
- Solve the Rubik’s cube
- Ride a bike for 100 km
- Draw a family tree
- Write a list of 100 dreams
A LITTLE FLOWER
Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.
I just love this quote. It is so unique and so relevant. Sunshine, freedom and a little flower – it is so individual, no one can really talk on behalf of you. You will know best what is your daily sunshine, what gives you the feeling of freedom and what is that little flower in your life. Give it a thought. Finding these answers can help you a lot to feel more secure and happy. Finding answers you will know… it won’t be unknown.
SECRETS OF HAPPINESS ON PAGES
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams
“In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama’s home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness’s eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering?
They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy.”
Finding Your Strength in Difficult Times (a book of meditations), by David Viscott
Don’t be Afraid to Dream
“Your dream is the infancy of your gift. Your belief in your dream makes it a reality. Abandon yourself to your dreams. Let go. Dream the dream that has been within you forever. Be the child in your dreams. Value closeness. Play with light. Lose yourself in your senses, and see the world anew. Be the hero in your dreams. Save nations. Bridge the flood. Conquer evil. Build the peace. The world needs your dreams. Carry them forward. You are your dreams. Claim and deliver them. You find yourself by living your dream. Let me dream my life, but let me not dream my life away. “
Happiness Is . . .: 500 Things to Be Happy About, by Lisa Swerling, Ralph Lazar
These are just 10 examples from the book. Out of 500. So many reasons, each day, to be truly happy!
- a pinky promise
- the chocolate bar you forgot you had
- piggyback rides
- a rocking chair
- dancing like idiots
- being the first one up
- no dirty dishes in the sink
- tropical drinks
- playing a new favorite track on repeat
- feeling the rain on your face
And so, she decided to start living the life she’d imagined.
How do you deal with living in the unknown? What helps you? What is your secret of happiness? Share below, sharing is caring! And stay in touch! Hugs!
Moments that matter, no matter the unknown.
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