There’s something about the unknown that makes most of us squirm. It’s the wide, open space where nothing feels certain.
Plans feel shaky, questions linger, and outcomes are nowhere in sight. And yet, if we let ourselves pause and sit with the discomfort, there’s a kind of freedom waiting there too.
Recently, I found myself reflecting on this idea after a conversation with someone navigating a big life transition. Their words stuck with me: the unknown, they said, wasn’t just scary. It felt freeing. Like the absence of clear answers had opened up possibilities they hadn’t even considered.
I’ve been thinking about that ever since.
We all encounter the unknown at some point. Sometimes it arrives quietly, like a faint nudge to reassess where we’re headed. Other times, it bursts into our lives with all the subtlety of a freight train: a sudden job loss, a move, a relationship shift, or something unexpected that upends our plans. These moments of transition, when the old chapter is closing, but the next one hasn’t yet begun -are when the unknown feels most intense.
And let’s be honest, it’s not always a comfortable feeling. As humans, we love certainty. We love having a plan, a goal, a clear path forward. When that clarity disappears, it’s natural to feel unmoored, even a little panicked.
I remember feeling lost, hopeless and plain clueless about how I was going to navigate life after losing my dad (amidst the pain and sadness that comes with grief). I fumbled, stumbled and fell thoughout that initial period and eventually, found my way through it all.
Here’s what I learnt: the unknown doesn’t just take away what’s familiar. It also gives us something precious.
Space.
In that space, where the next steps aren’t laid out for us, we’re free to ask different kinds of questions.
The beauty of the unknown is that it breaks us out of autopilot. It forces us to look up, to pay attention, and if we let ourselves to wonder. This isn’t about toxic positivity or pretending that uncertainty doesn’t come with real challenges. It’s about allowing space for curiosity to coexist with the discomfort.
What Freedom in the Unknown Feels Like
It’s not always immediate. Freedom in the unknown doesn’t come wrapped neatly. At first, it feels messy. There’s resistance, fear, and that undeniable urge to cling to the familiar, even when we know it no longer fits.
But as you sit with it... as you lean into the openness of not knowing a shift begins to happen. You realise you’re no longer bound by old assumptions or outdated expectations. You start to see the possibilities that were hidden in plain sight.
It feels like a deep breath after holding it in for too long. Like the first steps of a new adventure, even if you’re not entirely sure where you’re headed yet.
If you’re in a season of the unknown right now, know that you’re not alone. These periods of transition can feel isolating, but they’re also profoundly human. We’ve all been there, standing at the edge of a question mark, unsure of what comes next.
It’s okay to feel uncertain. To have moments where you’d rather rush through it or retreat back to what’s familiar. But if you can, try to lean into the openness instead. Give yourself permission to pause, to wonder, to dream without a map.
The unknown might feel like a void, but it’s also the birthplace of possibility. And who knows? This might just be the beginning of your next great chapter.
What’s waiting for you in the unknown?
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