If you know me in person, you probably know that I am a bit of a control freak. Not the kind that tries to control everyone’s thoughts and actions to the tiniest degree, but the kind that has to know what’s going on a month in advance, who is taking care of what, what are the exact time specifications, and so on and so forth.
Lately, the universe has been whacking me over the head with the knowledge that sometimes, it’s just not up to me. Along with some personal things that are simply out of my hands at the moment, today I received the official notice that I am, indeed, being laid off.
Knowing that you MIGHT be laid off and knowing that you ARE laid off are two completely different feelings. And control freak me does not like it one bit.
A song that has been playing over and over in my head has been Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel”. While I am not religious, the sentiment of the song seems quite applicable to my life right now. I have done all that I can do to prepare for everything that is out of my control right now. Personally, I have said my piece. Professionally, I have applied for new positions. Practically, I have made arrangements with my roommate. And now all I can do is wait for opportunities to present themselves and snatch them up.
I was reflecting back on some of my earlier posts where I discussed needing to have a direction in life and actively steering where you want to go. The recent turn of events made me think back on that sentiment: what if the steering wheel suddenly gets taken from you? What if you are rowing merrily along and suddenly hit a rock hidden just beneath the surface? What if the rushing stream you had been following suddenly dwindles to a mere trickle?
And then, I shook myself out of it. Having a direction and the drive to do something in life does not guarantee smooth sailing. In fact, it usually means the opposite. Just because you know where you want to end up doesn’t mean that you’ll get there walking in a straight line. If you don’t have direction, you’ll end up stopping, backtracking, or simply changing your end goal to fit the easiest route. Sticking to your guns means climbing mountains, fording streams, and whacking through underbrush to make it through. Having things taken out of your hands is not a stop sign for the determined, but merely a moment to pause and look at the compass before forging on ahead.
So how do you know if something is TRULY out of your hands or if you’re just telling yourself that as an excuse?
If something is out of your hands, you will have done everything that you can up to that point. If you get laid off from a job simply due to numbers, there is nothing you could have done to prevent that from happening. And if you were truly doing everything that you could, you will have killer recommendations to move to the next opportunity. If you give your all to a relationship and they choose to leave, there is nothing more that you can say or do if you have honestly laid it all out on the table. Your ability to be vulnerable will only be a positive in your subsequent relationships.
If something is out of your hands, it couldn’t have been prevented. Having your house catch on fire and losing everything due to the stove being left on could have been prevented and thus isn’t really something that is out of your hands. But losing everything in a record flood that was completely unexpected isn’t in your range of control. You cannot prevent every disaster, unexpected life twist, or people’s reactions based on their personal issues; all you can do is deal with the aftermath.
If something is out of your hands, you can’t change it after it happens. I cannot go back and reverse the decision of the school board. There is no way for someone to persuade an ex to take them back after they have already mentally moved on. No one can recreate a reaction to something that could potentially lead to negative consequences.
However, with all that being said, just because something in your life is out of your hands does not mean that your life itself somehow follows suit. There are circumstances that suck, things that happen that you would give the world to change, and people that choose to leave of their own volition. Yet even with those elements removed, there is still so much raw material to work with.
Our lives are an adventure. And if every single thing was in our control, we probably wouldn’t find the awesomely unknown opportunities or get to experience the joy of figuring shit out for ourselves. So in a way, I’m lucky: I’m being forced to discover things that I may not have taken the chance on if I would have kept my position. Who knows what amazing things I may stumble upon?
Facing the unknown is a scary place to stand. The path disappears into the night, and there are no friendly lanterns to guide your way. But if you take a couple of strides forward, you’ll find that you have enough light from within to keep illuminating the next small advancements, and really, that’s all the light you need.
So strike out with courage, befriend the cold hands of fear, and never ever let uncertainty prevent you from taking those tentative yet oh-so-important first steps. Usually, you’ll find that greatness lies just beyond the edge of the dark, and the velvet black that seemed so threatening from your comfort zone is able to be melted away by a simple brush of the hand.
(PC: This guy)
Hannah Elizabeth 
Leave a Reply