After three-plus years of full-time travel, I’ve learned a lot. One of the biggest lessons is that I can’t know anything until I’m actually there. Planning too far ahead is futile and only leads to a lot of unused plane tickets and canceled reservations, but that’s the uncertainty of life.
I arrived in Morocco on guidance from that greater something. “Go to Morocco,” repeated enough times that I finally listened.
I was unclear why I was supposed to spend time in this country but was looking forward to the adventure. I planned a road trip with a new friend, two weeks kite-surfing, and a month or two at a co-working space by the beach. Excitement to revel in the beauty of the Moroccan coast and just take it all in overcame me.
THE MOMENT I LANDED IN MOROCCO, I FELT AN UNFAMILIAR SENSE OF UNCERTAINTY
It’s nearly impossible to live your life and run your business from a place that’s aligned with Source and not feel safe in the uncertainty of life — but this was different. It was as if nothing would be allowed to be known. Any detail of life that I felt the need to control would be pulled out from under me. As I embarked on the road trip with my friend and two other women whom we’d just met, the subtle feeling of uncertainty became my primary energy.
For a weekend, I embraced the uncertainty. But when Monday approached, it grew. Was it simply because I needed to get back to wifi for my business and was getting mixed signals as to when we’d make it back? As I continued to surrender to the uncertainty, it became clear that this would be a theme for my time in Morocco.
I found this curious because I had already learned to find trust in the unknown and to feel safe in not knowing. Over the years I had become an expert in enjoying the ride rather than expecting anything past the present moment.
As uncertainty goes, we can’t always know that there’s more to learn until the moment for learning and growing arises.
As the feeling was sinking in, I received a message from someone asking me to come up to Casablanca for a business opportunity. There was nothing firm about this offer. Everything about the offer projected uncertainty and a nebulous state of floatiness that I would normally say no to. My boundaries protect my ability to serve, and yet, the pull to go was strong. The months that progressed became my boot camp in the uncertainty of life.
When I dropped in and asked Source, the guidance was overwhelming. A tremendous sense of power rose up from within me and screamed “go.” I said yes to Casablanca that evening, canceling all of my upcoming plans and not knowing what was ahead of me. The uncertainty increased.
With each bit of work I did in Casablanca, it became clear that I needed to be there. The community was ready and waiting for my work. And yet, nothing else remained certain.
Opportunities would arise and remain in a nebulous state, often not leading to anything tangible until the very last minute. Uncertainty had thrown my life and the busy nature of my business up into dust. The mama bear in me received a lesson in surrender. I was forced to trust deeply in Source’s guidance and allow everything else to fall into place without any control over how.
A FEW UNEXPECTED LESSONS ON UNCERTAINTY FROM MY TRAVELS:
- No one else’s control issues can ever thwart your plans.
When we’re relating to others in this world of interwoven relationships and individual needs, it can be hard to strike a balance between surrendering to the needs of others and making sure your own needs are met. Sometimes, as much as we clearly communicate our needs, there’s a gap between what we need and what someone else needs. When this creates uncertainty in our world, there is always a greater plan. We must speak our needs and Source our own power as creators. When uncertainty asks that we surrender beyond our own power, our needs are able to fall into alignment peacefully – magically unfolding.
- The business world is not as masculine as we often think it is.
Much of the uncertainty I found in doing business in Morocco was based in a feminine energy that, at first, confused the heck out of me. Communication was curt and fleeting, giving off a familiar masculine energy. As an entrepreneur, there is a fine line between ceasing opportunities and setting clear boundaries. The feminine nature of the business world in Morocco rocked me to my core, but it forced me to set boundaries while retaining flexibility.
Finding a balance between flexibility and boundaries is a journey for all of us individually. It’s a journey that opens us up to more of what’s available in this world.
- Boundaries are not and will never be an end-all-be-all static thing.
Many years ago, I learned that setting clear boundaries with people didn’t need to feel like a wall of strength. Instead, boundaries serve as a soft cushiony place for ourselves and others to feel met, welcomed, and understood.
The nebulous nature of business in Morocco threw my boundary-setting for a loop. I found myself feeling no choice but to say yes to things that would normally fall outside of my boundaries. Sometimes this worked magically, other times I wound up feeling pushed, used, and under-acknowledged. I was skipping over my truth.
Eventually, I learned that there was a way to honor the truth behind my boundaries while also honoring the truth of the situation that sometimes warrants a different perspective, action, or agreement.
I learned how to honor myself more deeply, while honoring the other person’s needs with full acceptance. I learned how to find my place in the infinite loop that’s available when we surrender to the flow of uncertainty and the fear of the unknown, while still remaining true to my ability to powerfully create my own reality.
