When was the last time you experienced confusion? We all know that feeling of not being able to move forward on a project or make a decision to act. Maybe we are racked with self-doubt or simply lacking the knowledge necessary for us to feel greater certainty about choosing one way over another.
Today, while I was listening to a friend relate his personal experience, I witnessed the tipping point that shifts us from confusion into certainty.
Confusion is often accompanied with an outward search for answers. You might find yourself exploring outside options and experimenting with new discoveries in your attempt to ease the confusion. Depending on the complexity of the puzzle we are attempting to solve, the confusion can linger for weeks, months or even years. For instance, I have had a tremor in my right leg for the past two years. Over that time, I have slowly, with one-step-at-a-time, grown my awareness and knowledge regarding the source of this tremor. In other words, I had to wait patiently for the wisdom to arrive within me. There were several layers of learning, each one moving progressively deeper than the one before. Each step eased my confusion and brought me closer to certainty.
On the other hand, we can transition through this cycle from confusion to certainty within seconds or minutes. When this happens, we rarely notice the “waiting” process because of its speed. We may even be unaware the shift to certainty occurred, not as a result of something outside of us but instead, due to the return of our inner ability to rely on ourself to make the right choice. Our sense of confidence returned.
Here is a simple experiment you can employ the next time you feel confused. Watch yourself in this state. Let go of outward striving and searching to solve your confusion. Instead, allow your inner capacities to quietly, and behind the scenes, do this grunt work for you. Remember, it could take time so be patient. Trust that all the answers to all the questions you hold reside within you. And, by all means, let me know the result of your experiment.
Below is a poem symbolizing my own experimentation and convergence.
Convergence
First, there is chaos, a breakdown.
The dark night of the soul is thick and dense.
Dread and danger unravel suffering.
Within meditation’s soft sound of silence
dawns an explosion, a breakthrough.
The wall of fear and forgotten shatters.
Then follows conscious connection into
calm certainty. Disassembled pieces reform
birthing new contentment, new curiosity, a new me.
