"This past summer, we were grilling on the deck, we had a routine, good jobs and I remember thinking “This is it! This is life and it’s great!”
Now, only a few weeks later, everything is crazy. We have to move out of our house. My partner just took another client in Costa Rica AND I found out I’m pregnant! I’m so sick, I can hardly eat anything.
I don’t know what we’re going to do. My life is in such chaos. I can’t figure out what we should do next."
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What feels like uncertainty to Sonja, is actually the chaos of life calling her to a new consciousness. Chaos theory tells us that life is not the dualistic “back-and-forth” between chaos and order.
In fact, chaos is the oscillation between order and disorder. The rhythm of life into order (Sonja’s proclamation of “This is it!”) through chaos, around the horn into randomness & disorder (“My partner took another client, I’m pregnant and we have to move…”) is headed back through the middle around the horn and back into order.
My hunch: Sonja and Kurtis will move into their new home, get everything set up (order!) and then the baby will come and they will swoop around the horn, back into the disorder and randomness of life.
Order ////////////// Chaos ///////////// Randomness & Disorder
EVERYTHING IS CHAOS!
Just when you think you can’t breathe in the hectic, frustrating, uncertain disorder and randomness of life – you’ll move into the next wave of order.
And just when you can’t breathe in the stifling, orderly life you’ve built, a new event, person, circumstance will enter into your life to knock you back into the messy, often growth-filled arena of randomness & disorder.
Navigating Uncertainty
So how do you navigate the uncertainty? Remember that to cling to either order or disorder is to deny the natural rhythm of life. If you are feeling the uncertainty of order at work:
“I don’t think I can do this job anymore. The 9-5 is killing me, and it’s the same thing day in and day out. But I’m UNCERTAIN about how to move forward! There’s got to be something more…
Congratulate yourself! And ask yourself:
- “What is important to keep in mind to surf this "order" with more grace?”
If you are feeling the uncertainty of disorder, like Sonja:
“I have to figure out how to move in a week, plan for a new baby, see if our deal on the foreclosure property is going through AND we have to pack and leave for Costa Rica the following day!”
Congratulate yourself! And ask yourself:
- “What is important to keep in mind to surf this wave of disorder with more grace?
The Fully Alive Bottom Line: As you recognize how chaos – the rhythm of order and disorder – comes into your life moment-by-moment, day-by-day, practice riding the ever-increasing waves with grace and elegance. Your ease in navigating uncertainty will grow and expand as you practice, and you will be able to live a life that is fully alive, no matter what wave you are riding!
"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties." - Erich Fromm
Emily K. Hanka, Holistic Professional Coach, certified Intrinsic ® Coach, Holistic Business/Organizational Coach, Health Coach
