In life, we often seek clarity, wanting every decision to be a sure step toward success. Yet, as Steve Jobs famously said in his Stanford commencement speech nearly 20 years ago, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.” This quote holds profound wisdom, resonating deeply with me when I spoke at the Women Make a Difference networking group this week.
For many of us, the fear of uncertainty holds us back from making decisions that might later prove essential to our journey. We crave predictability, wishing to see how each choice will unfold before we commit. However, as Jobs emphasized, it’s in those uncertain moments—the ones where we must take action based on intuition and desire—that life’s magic truly happens. We don’t always know the value of a choice until much later, but that doesn’t diminish its importance in shaping our path.
This week, I lived this lesson firsthand. There were two events I had planned to attend but didn’t feel like going to. My energy was low, and the allure of staying home was strong. Yet, I reminded myself that these could be the very dots I would later look back on, the moments where everything changed. So I showed up. As fate would have it, I met key people who will help me in various areas of my life—my new life insurance rep, the owner of a new emergency vet in Santa Fe (which is critical, as we haven’t had an emergency vet here, and the closest one is 70 miles away, and I have a 16-year-old dog), my new health insurance provider, a female electrician I will be reaching out to, and some potential collaborators for future endeavors. These are just a few of the connections, and I know there will be other key people who I’ll only recognize when I connect the dots looking backward.
Here are a few lessons that have become even clearer through these experiences:
1. Embrace Uncertainty as a Catalyst for Growth
While it’s human nature to seek certainty, growth rarely happens within our comfort zones. By stepping into the unknown, we open ourselves to opportunities we might never have encountered otherwise. The discomfort of uncertainty is often the price of personal and professional growth.
2. Trust Your Desires and Take Inspired Action
When we base our decisions on what we truly desire rather than the safety of predictability, we allow ourselves to live in the flow of life. This inspired action often leads to serendipitous moments—the kind that we couldn’t have planned but later realize were pivotal to our journey.
3. Showing Up is Half the Battle
There are countless times when showing up, even when we don’t feel like it, is the very thing that leads to new connections and opportunities. Often, it’s not about knowing the outcome but simply being present and trusting that something meaningful will emerge.
4. Look Back to See the Dots, But Move Forward with Faith
In the moment, it’s impossible to see how everything will come together. But with time, those seemingly disconnected events and decisions reveal their importance. The key is to move forward with faith, trusting that each dot will find its place in the larger picture of your life.
As I look back on this week, it’s clear that making those small, yet significant decisions to attend those events has already started forming the dots. I won’t know how they’ll connect just yet, but I have faith that they will. And that’s the magic of life—the beautiful, often unpredictable journey that unfolds when we let go of certainty and embrace possibility.
To your success and abundance!
Tania
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