Are you prepared to trust the unknown or do you need a safety net to edge against risks in life? It would seem rational to choose the security and comfort of a safety net, at least to take the first steps, until you feel that you have what it takes to walk a tightrope. I would argue, however, that the safety net robs you of the freedom to venture beyond the well-known. Remove the net, feel the fear and trust…
What is the worst that can happen? We trust and we fail. That may just be what is needed to discover the wings that we never knew we had. When we open up to the unknown, we also (re)discover others. By showing up as vulnerable, we magically attract support into our lives. By trusting that life will provide what we need, an unexpected rescue team will ensure soft landing; an eye-opening experience will catch us falling. Trusting that we are not alone in life is a major shift in the way we lead our lives.
Perhaps, we don’t fall completely. We just end up in a place we do not like. We did not fail, necessarily, but we feel something went wrong; we made a mistake along the way; or we feel that life is unfair; and we struggle to maintain an illusion of control. And yet it is in the loss of control that lies the gift: the importance of others, the awareness that we know little and that life is about what we do not know and what we do not see. Indeed, the best in life is always immaterial, to be experienced through others, and lies hidden within beyond darkness. Leading through darkness, the unknown, requires trust and the ability to show vulnerability to others, more than standing alone with strength and assurances.