Why Predictability is So Boring
The idea of life as unpredictable is something we all have to deal with, but most of us avoid going there willingly.
We see this everywhere: we’re conditioned to rely on what we already know (and know how to do). We see it with our colleagues and friends. And if we see it in them, it’s wise to remember that we can’t recognize something in others unless we have it in ourselves first.
There ARE some arenas where it’s good to be consistent and predictable, especially when numbers, strategies. predictions and plans are involved.
But the rest of the time, deciding where to spend our energy and wondering how to get the most out of our lives—that’s the perfect opportunity to step beyond what we already know and choose to be curious about what we don’t know.
Because whenever our lives are tightly controlled by our default to what we’re already familiar with, we tend to reproduce what we already know. We get the same results without having to think much about it. Just plug and play.
Really now, who wants to go through life having the same experience day in and day out?
I’d like to propose an alternative. What if we choose to be more creative in how we live? What if we let go of thinking about and doing what we’ve always done and trading it out for what we don’t yet know the answer to?
As AI becomes ubiquitous and more and more of our lives become almost unrecognizable, there’s an added incentive to be more creative with our thinking and our days. No one that I know of wants to become more robotic.
We all enjoy reading or watching a movie when the outcome is unknown, and we get bored and move on if we know what’s going to happen. If everything we put our attention on is predictable, why would we want to waste our time on it?
When we allow ourselves to spend time in the unknown, just noodling with ideas and possibilities, we begin to see how much more we’re actually engaged with what’s happening in the moment and our response becomes much more lively and likely to spark something we wouldn’t have seen if we’re in auto pilot mode.
Ah, but when we make room for uncertainty, accidents, unexpected connections, and even so-called apparent mistakes, something original is far more likely to emerge. We might find the seeds of an entirely new perspective, a new idea or a more aligned direction.
Exploring the unknown is the essence of creativity. After all, that’s where all new ideas come from so why not crack open the door and find something beautiful, useful or inspiring.
My experience has been that when we accept the invitation to dance with the unpredictable, it’s no longer a threat or inconvenience. It’s a doorway to something new and unexpected.
My personal experience in the grand experiment of being unpredictable has led me to new places, making new friendships and especially new ideas that have added to my storehouse of great things to do and see.
Letting go of wanting to be certain, whether it’s about the process or the outcome - lets us be ‘in relationship’ to what’s currently unfolding. The more present we are, with what’s called “open awareness,” the more we develop our capacity to collaborate with this thing called the unknown. There’s a real jolt of energy you feel when you make yourself available than if you’re just pulling the usual habitual responses from the dusty storehouse of your mind.
If you’ve felt a flatness to always doing the same things the same way (while complaining about it), you might want to put that aside and find out what else is possible for you.
Here’s the moral of the story: When you think differently, outcomes are different. So if you’re looking to surprise yourself—and others that rely on you—it’s worth a shot.
It’s not only a question of what have you got to lose? The real question is, what have you got to gain? And you’ll only find that out by finding out for yourself.
So, this week, as an experiment, just change one tiny thing about your usual routine and notice what surprises you.
We see this everywhere: we’re conditioned to rely on what we already know (and know how to do). We see it with our colleagues and friends. And if we see it in them, it’s wise to remember that we can’t recognize something in others unless we have it in ourselves first.
There ARE some arenas where it’s good to be consistent and predictable, especially when numbers, strategies. predictions and plans are involved.
But the rest of the time, deciding where to spend our energy and wondering how to get the most out of our lives—that’s the perfect opportunity to step beyond what we already know and choose to be curious about what we don’t know.
Because whenever our lives are tightly controlled by our default to what we’re already familiar with, we tend to reproduce what we already know. We get the same results without having to think much about it. Just plug and play.
Really now, who wants to go through life having the same experience day in and day out?
I’d like to propose an alternative. What if we choose to be more creative in how we live? What if we let go of thinking about and doing what we’ve always done and trading it out for what we don’t yet know the answer to?
As AI becomes ubiquitous and more and more of our lives become almost unrecognizable, there’s an added incentive to be more creative with our thinking and our days. No one that I know of wants to become more robotic.
We all enjoy reading or watching a movie when the outcome is unknown, and we get bored and move on if we know what’s going to happen. If everything we put our attention on is predictable, why would we want to waste our time on it?
When we allow ourselves to spend time in the unknown, just noodling with ideas and possibilities, we begin to see how much more we’re actually engaged with what’s happening in the moment and our response becomes much more lively and likely to spark something we wouldn’t have seen if we’re in auto pilot mode.
Ah, but when we make room for uncertainty, accidents, unexpected connections, and even so-called apparent mistakes, something original is far more likely to emerge. We might find the seeds of an entirely new perspective, a new idea or a more aligned direction.
Exploring the unknown is the essence of creativity. After all, that’s where all new ideas come from so why not crack open the door and find something beautiful, useful or inspiring.
My experience has been that when we accept the invitation to dance with the unpredictable, it’s no longer a threat or inconvenience. It’s a doorway to something new and unexpected.
My personal experience in the grand experiment of being unpredictable has led me to new places, making new friendships and especially new ideas that have added to my storehouse of great things to do and see.
Letting go of wanting to be certain, whether it’s about the process or the outcome - lets us be ‘in relationship’ to what’s currently unfolding. The more present we are, with what’s called “open awareness,” the more we develop our capacity to collaborate with this thing called the unknown. There’s a real jolt of energy you feel when you make yourself available than if you’re just pulling the usual habitual responses from the dusty storehouse of your mind.
If you’ve felt a flatness to always doing the same things the same way (while complaining about it), you might want to put that aside and find out what else is possible for you.
Here’s the moral of the story: When you think differently, outcomes are different. So if you’re looking to surprise yourself—and others that rely on you—it’s worth a shot.
It’s not only a question of what have you got to lose? The real question is, what have you got to gain? And you’ll only find that out by finding out for yourself.
So, this week, as an experiment, just change one tiny thing about your usual routine and notice what surprises you.