Dealing with uncertainty and transitions are not my strong suit.
I’d be lying to you if I said I’m super stoked about our trek back to Washington. I’d be lying if I said my adventurous spirit was on fire.
I’m not stoked and my fire resembles embers.
Don’t get me wrong; I am absolutely looking forward to being reunited with family and friends. Family is important to us and being away has been tough.
Typically, I am all in when travel is on the agenda. But this time, we are leaving certainty and driving into the unknown. Unlike other vacations, there is no life schedule to return to in the immediate future.
Jobs, housing, arrival date – all of these are up in the air. We are living out of our car with our earthly belongings loaded into a trailer.
The month leading up to our departure was full of checklists and preparations – planning a road trip, wrapping up work duties, squeezing in as much friend time as possible and trying to maintain some semblance of “normal.”
I didn’t allow myself to think about the next phase. Not a good tactic.
The day before we left, I had a mini-emotional breakdown. It was ugly.
But, I needed to work through these emotions. I needed to wrestle with the transition and the unavoidable uncertainty.
Out of the tears, I created a game plan. If I frame this time as a “structured break,” I can give myself the flexibility to enjoy the adventure.
I know what my personal and professional goals are. I know that because I’m on the road, those goals don’t change.
What does change is how I can work on those goals. It is unrealistic (and stress inducing) to try to maintain the same rigor and pace.
I am switching to a day-by-day mentality to mitigate stress and enjoy this unique adventure.
Although the literal and metaphorical road ahead is uncertain, my goals and values aren’t going anywhere.
Having a firm sense of my goals and values outweighs the uncertainty. If I continually remind myself of this fact, I can enjoy the road ahead.
