Handling Ambiguity And Unpredictability: Living in Wonder, Not Panic
“Live every day as if it’s your first.”
We have all probably heard the quote "Live every day as if it's your last." It's supposed to be inspiring advice for facing life's major challenges and uncertainties. The idea is to encourage us to seize the day, live with no regrets, and not take anything for granted.
But is that really such great advice? While well-intentioned, as writer Suleika Jaouad discovered during her own health crisis, that mentality can actually breed more anxiety than peace.
Jaouad realized that treating each day as your last instills a sense of frantic urgency - a need to wring every last drop out of life before it's gone. But as she faces an uncertain future, this scarcity mindset only heightened her panic rather than helping her find joy.
Instead, Jaouad shifted to a profound new perspective: "Live every day as if it's your first."
This outlook deeply resonated with me. Rather than fearing death's finality, she wakes up with the openness and curiosity of a newborn. Instead of chasing major life moments, she savors life's tiny pockets of nourishment, play, and wonder in the present moment.
By treating each new day not as a dwindling resource but as a fresh start brimming with potential, Jaouad can move through uncertainty not in a state of panic and grasping, but with a spirit of generosity and awe.
Her words carry immense wisdom for anyone grappling with the ambiguity and unpredictability of life, whether dealing with a health crisis, career upheaval, or simply the persistent drumbeat of existential uncertainty we all encounter.
So often, in our drive to control the uncontrollable, we often end up squeezing the beauty out of each day, obsessing over our limited time instead of actually being present for it. We catastrophize and lament impermanence instead of taking delight in the temporal nature of things.
But what if we reframed uncertainty as an invitation to witness the world anew daily, every single day? To look upon the ordinary through the lens of beginner's mind, savoring the magic of being alive for another sunrise?
I'm not suggesting we be naively Pollyanna about life's difficulties. But perhaps by living as if we just arrived on this earth - cultivating radical curiosity and beginner's mind - we can flow more gracefully amidst the unpredictable ebbs and flows.
There will always be fragility and finiteness to confront. But there is also freshness awaiting us with each new dawn, an endless supply of small joys awaiting our discovery if only we choose to live in wonder rather than panic.
So let us wake up every day as wide-eyed newcomers, perpetual beginners willingly being born into the uncertainty and miraculous reality of existence itself. In doing so, perhaps we'll uncover the deep breaths of peace and present-moment savoring that allow us to move fluidly through life's inevitable unfolding.
Reference: Jaouad, S. (2024). Interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCi_zzWCkbo