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By Troy Ismir, Barbells & Brothers
We live in uncertain times. We are uncertain when this COVID-19 virus will be behind us. We are uncertain about when the economy will start to come back to some level of normalcy. We are uncertain about what tomorrow will bring.
This can bring a feeling of uneasiness, anxiety, despair and hopelessness. If we are all honest with ourselves we have experienced all of those emotions to some extent over the past several weeks as all of our lives have been profoundly impacted during this crazy time we live in.
What I am learning to do in my own personal journey is to embrace uncertainty as the theme of my life. It hasn’t been something I have been particularly good at over the years. My personality tends to prefer structure and predictability. We all need some structure in our lives or it would be utter chaos. Maybe that’s how you feel right now, like your life is turned upside down.
When I talk about embracing uncertainty as the theme of our lives, I am talking about finding joy in the mystery of life. That our God is a mysterious God, but he is also a loving God. If we could figure out God, then he wouldn’t be God would he?
It may be hard to find joy in our lives right now as we are in a state mandated lock down. We see the numbers of lives lost daily. We’ve seen our stock portfolio drop faster than you can say Kingda Ka. The tallest roller coaster in the world that will drop you 408 feet at 128 mph. You better hold on for dear life on that bad ass roller coaster. I think that’s how a lot of us feel right now. We are reeling from a 408 foot drop at Mach speed.
I am here to tell you that there is another way. This is what I am practicing right now. I am practicing finding joy on the inside. To feel joy in my life even in all the uncertainty. To embrace the mystery of life, knowing that somehow this will all work out for good.
I have been diligent in meditating every morning for twenty minutes. I am working on becoming a better man through all of this. I am working on being a better entrepreneur through these uncertain times.
I have already learned that I can reach anyone in the world through technology. I can share hope, encouragement and inspiration across the globe through my writing, my podcasts and training and coaching clients through the Zoom platform.
I am seeing possibilities for a bright future even in the darkness. There will always be uncertainty in our lives. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We aren’t even guaranteed the next hour.
What we are guaranteed is a God that loves us unconditionally. It’s up to us to choose that and to see ourselves the way God sees us. It’s up to us to believe in ourselves.
We can choose to embrace uncertainty as the theme of our lives and surrender to the mystery of God, or we can live in a state of emotional upheaval leading to depression, anxiety and hopelessness.
I am going to continue to practice embracing uncertainty as the theme for my life. I know I will fail many times over, but that’s alright. I am learning day by day that there is hope even in the chaos.
There will always be uncertainty in our lives, so we might as well learn how to embrace it and find ways to thrive in a world full of mystery and uncertainty.
Troy Ismir, MS
Fitness Minister
Founder and Creator of Barbells & Brothers
