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In this lesson, we will be staying with our uncertainty.
Uncertainty Training is the key to this entire course, so pay attention! When we want to run, we are running form uncertainty and discomfort. It is a pattern that we developed when we were young. We would put off chores or homework and did not like the discomfort that these things brought up. We were never trained in dealing with this feeling so we developed this strategy of doing something else. The reward was relief in not doing what we needed to be doing.
If it was easy, you would have already done it. If it is not easy, there are a lot of questions of whether you can do it or not, whether you are good enough. So you put it off and keep putting off until you cannot put it off any longer, The strategy works until it doesn’t. We do it over and over until it becomes a habit. These days, we see how it is hurting us. This strategy is not helpful. At one point, it may have served us, but now it does not. We are tired of running.
How do we stop? We have to find a way to deal with feelings of uncertainty and discomfort in a healthier and more helpful way. The only way to deal with it is to face it head on. If you can do this, you no longer need to run. Even if it scares us or is difficult and uncomfortable, we can stay and do the thing we want to do.
Uncertainty Training is like training in a physical activity. If you have ever trained for a marathon, yoga or sport, you are training in discomfort.
- Put yourself in training mode.
- Create a practice container and practice a little at a time. Start with 5-10 minutes, then add a little bit more time.
- Push yourself into the discomfort a little bit further. Not in a punishing or sacrificing way, but in a way that challenges yourself a little bit.
- It does not need to be a fast progression, it can be gradual. Train yourself over the course of the next month, few months, 6 months or year. You do not need to push yourself to get overnight results.
- Feel the uncertainty and stay with it. Despite the uncertainty, allow it to be part of the process. It is part of the training. If I can train here, I can train myself to not run form anything. I won’t be afraid of discomfort any more and am able to deal with difficult taxes.
There are so many ways we run from uncertainty and discomfort. If we can train ourselves to stay with it, we are training ourselves for life. We are ready for anything. This pattern of running breaks down over time.
Train yourself! See if you can push yourself a little further.
How are things going so far? Share your experiences and weekly check-in on Slack!