The cost of pursuing any new endeavor can feel terrifying at first.
Whether it's changing jobs or ending a relationship–even thinking about the process can feel destabilizing.
Mostly, because what if it doesn’t work out? What if we don’t find better, or worse–what if a wrong decision becomes one of our biggest regrets?
So, we don’t act; instead, we distract or numb. Maybe we become paralyzed, convince ourselves the issue will disappear, and wait until we have time to consider our options.
The problem with this approach is that we can end up sleepwalking through life and increasing the odds of rationalizing unhealthy relationships and jobs in the future.
One reason we avoid our issues is that betting on something without knowing the outcome feels risky. And we humans are generally risk-averse and avoid uncertainty at all costs.
But the truth is, life is full of uncertainty, and we must constantly navigate decisions where we don’t know the outcome.
So maybe an alternative is to ask ourselves more interesting questions. What will it cost me if I stay somewhere I don't belong? And what are the possibilities if I do get the outcome I hope for? When we do this, we can better understand our relationship to uncertainty and get curious about the unknown.
It’s in this process that we learn more about ourselves.
And this is where magic and expansion can happen.