On Election Day, Develop the Skill of Being in the Mystery

How well do you handle the unknown?

If you’re honest, the answer might be “not very.”

Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re in good company. If you have any doubts, look around today and over the next few days.

Take the energetic pulse of the people around you.

Notice how many people are on edge, short-tempered, irritable, elusive, impatient.

Today is Election Day in the United States.

And with Election Day comes the spectacle of the news coverage, which seeks to provide definitive answers on the results even before all the ballots are counted.

The reason for the rush isn’t obvious. The next President won’t take office for months, so knowing the definitive results today won’t speed up any process.

In fact, a rush to declare a winner before the results are counted and verified could end up leading to backlash and sowing seeds of doubt in the US Election process.

You could argue that the entire framework around elections sets us up for this conflict. For months before the election, news reports focus on polling data, and on election night teams of analysts sort through the post-vote polling, all in an effort to predict the results.

The problem is that predictions set up expectations, and expectations pave a path to disappointments, disillusion, and doubt.

And what’s the reason for all of this?

So we can find the certainty of “knowing” the result. Pre-election polls try to set up our expectations before we even vote. Post-election polling, data analysis, and projection attempts to give us certainty about the future.

Why can’t we wait until all the votes are counted?

Because we have the insatiable need to know now. We crave the instant gratification. Think about what happens when you take a little online poll on social media. You select your option, hit enter, and immediately see the current state of results.

This constant access to instant feedback has trained us to expect immediate answers to everything.

The New Skill: Being in the Mystery

If the polling data is accurate and the past few years are a good indication, the final results of this election might take a while to sort themselves out. This offers a great opportunity to practice the skill of “being in the mystery.”

To “be in the mystery” means to be actively involved in a situation that is unknown, to be in a space of questions without seeking answers, to allow for things to be unresolved and uncertain.

It is to embrace the space of not knowing how things will turn out, and to be ok with that.

To be in the mystery means to forego instant gratification and trust the process of life to unfold in its own timing.

To be in the mystery means to do all of this without allowing impatience and fear to take over, to remain in a place of equanimity as the dust settles, to not try to wish to a conclusion faster.

This may sound like abstract spiritual advice, but its impact is incredibly practical and tangible:

The better we are at the skill of being in the mystery, the better we can focus on life’s other demands.

Read: Embracing the Mystery is a Productivity Strategy

Election night is a good time to practice.

Tips for Practicing Being in the Mystery

Here are some tips for practicing being in the mystery:

• *Go on a “news fast”*: turn off the television, stay off social media and the internet, and avoid watching or reading news for 24 hours.
• *Notice what comes up*: Notice what arises for you around your “need to know”: What are the physical sensations? How often do you feel pulled to check your phone?
• *Explore your thoughts, fears, and beliefs*: When the urge arises to check the news and learn the latest, pay attention to your mind. What beliefs are arising? What fears are coming through?
• *Create a mantra*: Practicing a mantra such as I trust the unfolding of life on its terms can help deepen trust and equanimity in a state of uncertainty.
• *Get curious*: How can you make this into a game? What curiosities can you nurture in the mystery?

Life is never certain, and even when we think we know the answers or we know what’s coming, we are often wrong.

The truth is that all of life is living in the mystery, so learning how to be in the mystery is the most practical skill we can master.