Organization in life, especially in the midst of uncertainty, is a never-ending challenge that seems to be frustrating and confusing for all of us.  And yet, many times we simply accept the uncertainty by ignoring it or minimizing the challenge.  In this manner, our efforts are often confusing and challenging.  And this kind of confusion can result in hesitancy and failure to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves.  

In our attempts to manage life in this way, it’s no wonder that our plans often lead to a lack of consistency and completion.  And when this occurs, it can lead to confusion that might be interpreted as a weakness or inability on our part which pollutes our thinking and processing.

To avoid this type of failure in our lives, it needs to be clear that we avoid any pattern of thinking errors that might be interpreted as acceptable when we’re determining our future.  If we fail to do so, the laws of natural consequences will catch up to us and our efforts to successfully complete our plan will falter.          

Any type of confusion in the laws of our planning can be difficult to correct.   

For if we fail to invest sufficient time and effort to establish correct options in our plans for life, it can be easy to mistakenly settle for less than our best in determining a healthy life for our future.  Being impatient in the midst of our challenges is something that we all may experience, and that factor alone probably accounts for a great deal of our failures. 

Looking for the purpose of confusion in our lives, and lack of a clear design in our imperfect perception can be difficult to recognize in the early stages.  And if we fail to recognize these issues, our progression may become so confusing and overwhelming, that together they can sabotage our growth and development.  

Recognizing the cycles in life can be challenging unless we regularly examine the course we’re on and the speed with which we move from one level to another.  We need to ask ourselves, what is our goal in life, what is our method for managing the uncertainties, and how can we manage them without losing our balance and energy.  Since there will always be some measure of uncertainty in life, as we delve into the difficulties of what our future might be, logic would say that without a clear plan and direction in life, we could easily lose our clarity and priorities as we move from one level of understanding to another.  Maybe the answer is as simple as being sure of our priorities and taking one step at a time as we consider how much we are willing to risk in our journey.  As always, part of the answer has to be simply moving line upon line, precept upon precept.  Then talk to someone you trust for their input.  We are seldom alone in this transformation, and time spent with a friend can be a valuable step in our journey.  So, don’t give up and don’t give in.  Maintain your goals.  Reach out.  The future can be amazing.  Set your course.  Decide to go first class.  Don’t settle for less.  

John Waterbury is a retired Clinical Mental Health Counselor who has lived in Utah since 1984 when he moved to Bountiful with his wife and four children. Since then, he has written a weekly column for several years for the Davis County Clipper titled “The Dear John Letters” which was also used throughout the intermountain West focusing on addiction and mental health problems. This new column will focus on mental health and life management issues.