The Illusion of Control

If you look out to the horizon, it looks flat. Which is interesting, because the earth is, of course, not flat. It’s round. But that’s our perception because we’re looking at a small enough stretch of a very large surface.

The same is true with control.

We think we have control over our lives. We make plans, we study, we prepare ourselves mentally, we visualize, manifest, and put our best perspective on. We think we are controlling our future and creating our own outcomes. But we can’t control life’s outcomes. It’s a false sense of security created by the illusion of control.

We are looking at a very small stretch of life like looking out at the horizon. We are planning for a week, a month, or a year, but in reality, the future is not a straight line forward. It’s curvy and crazy, with glorious and god-awful twists that we could never prepare for.

This is a nice place for faith to take over. But how do you have faith in the future?

Faith is a real challenge for me. But I have found something that helps. A Trust List.

What can I trust, that gives me faith in the future, so that I can loosen up on my need to control and plan and prepare for every possibility? What good can I count on? Here’s some things that are included on my Trust List:

• I trust that the circumstances that unfold in my life can contribute to my learning, and the most challenging circumstances can contribute to my greatest learning
• I trust that there is wisdom in space and silence, if I pause to listen for it
• I trust that my family and I will always be there for each other, in the most important ways
• I trust that there is a superpower in loving

What can you put on your Trust List? How can that help you relax into faith and let go of needing to control? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Wishing you a beautiful unfolding to your new year.