There is a strange kind of pressure in today’s world that nobody openly teaches us about, yet almost everyone feels it. The pressure to have life figured out. Not just in a general way, but very specifically. By a certain age, we are supposed to know: What career we want.

How much money we want to earn. Where we want to live. Whom we want to marry (or if we don’t want to). What our “purpose” is. And ideally, how everything will turn out. If you don’t know these things, people may not say it directly, but you can feel it in their tone, their questions, their silence.

“So… what are you doing now?” “What’s your plan?” “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Sometimes the pressure doesn’t even come from others. It comes from inside your own head. And that pressure can quietly turn into anxiety, self-doubt, and a feeling that something is wrong with you. This article is for anyone who feels lost, behind, confused, or unsure — and secretly wonders if they are failing at life. You are not.

The Silent Timeline We’re All Measured Against.

No one officially gives us a rulebook for life, but somehow we all seem to be following the same invisible timeline. Finish school. Get a degree. Get a job. Start earning. Be independent. Get married. Buy a house. Settle down.

When things don’t happen in this order — or don’t happen at all — panic starts creeping in. You might look around and feel like everyone else is moving forward while you are standing still.

But here’s something nobody says clearly enough: That timeline is mostly made up. It’s a social construct built from old expectations, economic conditions that no longer exist, and comparison culture amplified by social media. Yet we treat it like law.

Social Media Makes Feeling Lost Feel Like Failure.

One of the biggest reasons feeling lost hurts so much today is because we are constantly watching other people look like they have everything sorted out.

Instagram shows promotions, weddings, vacations, and perfect smiles.
LinkedIn shows career growth, achievements, and “I’m excited to announce…” posts.
Twitter shows confidence, opinions, clarity, and certainty. What we don’t see are the doubts behind those posts.

We don’t see: The anxiety before choosing that career. The fear behind that marriage. The loneliness inside that success. The confusion that still exists after “making it”.

So when you feel lost, it feels like you are the only one who hasn’t figured things out. But that’s not reality — that’s selective visibility.

Feeling Lost Is Not a Sign You’re Broken.

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that clarity is normal and confusion is a flaw.

It’s not. Feeling lost is not a malfunction. It’s a transition state. Just like winter is not a failure of summer, confusion is not a failure of intelligence or effort.

It usually means: You’ve outgrown an old version of yourself. Your previous goals no longer fit. You are questioning instead of blindly following. You are becoming more aware, not less capable.

People who never feel lost often just follow paths they never questioned. That’s not clarity. That’s autopilot.

Why Nobody Really Has Life “Figured Out”.

Here’s an uncomfortable truth that becomes obvious only with time: Nobody actually has life figured out.

Some people just have: Better scripts. More confidence pretending. Fewer reasons to explain themselves. Or more stability for now

Life is not a problem to solve once and then relax forever. It keeps changing. You change. Your needs change. Your priorities change. So even those who “figured it out” at 25 are often lost again at 35, 45, or 55. We just don’t talk about that stage as openly.

The Difference Between Being Lost and Being Empty.

Feeling lost is often misunderstood. Being lost doesn’t mean you lack potential. It means you are searching.

It means you care enough to ask questions like: “Is this really what I want?” “Is this life mine or borrowed?” “Am I chasing security or meaning?” “Who am I without expectations?”

These questions are uncomfortable, but they are deeply human. The danger is not being lost. The danger is being busy enough to never notice you are lost.

Average Lives Still Have Meaning.

There is also another pressure we rarely admit. The pressure to be extraordinary. To do something big. To stand out. To be remembered. And if we don’t, we feel like we failed.

But most meaningful lives are not dramatic. They are made of: Ordinary days, Small responsibilities, Quiet effort, Invisible growth.

You don’t need a grand purpose to justify your existence. Living honestly, learning slowly, and treating people well is already enough.

Education Didn’t Prepare Us for Uncertainty.

Many of us grew up believing that if we study well and do the “right things,” life will reward us with clarity.

But real life doesn’t work like exams. There is no single correct answer. There is no fixed syllabus. And no guarantee that effort leads to immediate results.

So when uncertainty shows up, we feel unprepared. But uncertainty is not a personal failure — it’s a natural part of adulthood.

Being Lost Often Means You Are Between Versions of Yourself.

Think about it. You are not who you were five years ago. And you’re not yet who you’ll be five years from now. That space in between can feel confusing, lonely, and uncomfortable.

But it’s also where growth happens. Seeds don’t look like trees while growing. Transitions don’t look like success while happening. Feeling lost is often the sign that something new is forming — even if you can’t see it yet.

Comparing Journeys Is Emotionally Expensive.

One of the fastest ways to increase anxiety is comparing your internal confusion with someone else’s external results.

You know your doubts. You don’t know theirs. You know your delays. You don’t know their compromises. Comparison steals context. And without context, judgment becomes unfair — especially toward yourself.

You Are Allowed to Change Your Mind.

Another reason people feel lost is because they believe changing direction means they failed. It doesn’t.

Changing your mind means you learned something. It means you noticed misalignment instead of ignoring it. You are not required to stay loyal to decisions made by a younger, less-aware version of yourself. Growth often looks like quitting, redirecting, or starting over.

The Myth of “Late” in Life.

We often describe ourselves as “late”: Late to success. Late to marriage. Late to stability. Late to clarity.

But late according to whose clock? Life is not a race with a universal finish line. Some people bloom early. Some bloom slowly. Some bloom many times. Timing is personal, not moral.

Productivity Culture Makes Rest Feel Like Failure.

When you feel lost, you may also feel guilty for not being productive enough. Our culture values constant motion.

But slowing down is not laziness. Rest is not weakness. Pauses are not wasted time. Sometimes clarity doesn’t come from doing more — it comes from doing less and listening more.

It’s Okay to Not Have a Clear Passion.

Another common pressure is finding “your passion.” Not everyone has one big calling. Some people discover meaning through curiosity, not certainty. You are allowed to explore without labeling it as destiny. You are allowed to enjoy things temporarily. You are allowed to be unsure.

Feeling Lost Can Be a Form of Honesty.

There is something quietly brave about admitting you don’t know. It means you are not pretending. It means you are not hiding behind borrowed dreams. In a world obsessed with confidence, honesty is underrated. And honesty is often the first step toward real direction.

You Are Still Moving, Even If It Doesn’t Look Like It.

Growth is not always visible. Sometimes growth looks like: Saying no. Taking a break. Sitting with discomfort. Letting go of old expectations. Accepting uncertainty. These moments don’t look impressive, but they are powerful.

Life Is Lived Forward, Understood Backward.

Right now, things may feel messy and unclear. But many moments that once felt like being lost later make sense. The job you didn’t get. The path you left. The delay you hated. Time often reveals that confusion was not punishment — it was redirection.

You Don’t Need to Be Certain to Take the Next Step.

You don’t need a 10-year plan. You just need the next honest step. Clarity often comes after action, not before it. You don’t wait to feel ready to move forward. You move forward to feel ready.

If You’re Feeling Lost, You’re Not Alone.

If you’re reading this and feeling like life is unclear, unstable, or confusing — you’re not broken. You’re human.

Most people are quietly figuring things out as they go, even if they don’t admit it. You don’t need to rush your becoming. You don’t need to apologize for your pace. You are allowed to be unfinished.

A Gentle Reminder.

You are not behind. You are not failing. You are not wasting your life. You are learning yourself in real time. And that is not something to be ashamed of.

Before You Go…

If this article made you feel a little less alone, a little more understood, or a little calmer — that means something.

I write on MINDFULIZE about life, self-understanding, reading, mental clarity, and the quiet struggles we don’t talk about enough.

Follow and subscribe to this blog if you want honest writing. Your support helps me keep writing — slowly, thoughtfully, and truthfully.

“Great writing takes time, quiet thinking, and long nights. If my articles gave you value, please consider supporting my growth with a small tip. Your support keeps the journey alive. ”❤️📚.

Thank you for being here.

The Pressure to Have Life Figured Out: Why It’s Okay to Feel Lost was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Living With the Unknown.

Uncertainty is one of those things we all experience but rarely talk about honestly. We talk about success, confidence, motivation, and clarity. But we don’t really talk about the days when nothing feels clear, when plans fall apart, and when the future looks like a big question mark.

Most of us are not afraid of hard work. We are afraid of not knowing. Not knowing whether our efforts will pay off. Not knowing if a relationship will last. Not knowing if the choices we are making today will help or hurt us tomorrow.

Uncertainty doesn’t arrive with noise. It quietly enters our mind, sits there, and slowly drains our energy. One thought leads to another, and before we realize it, we are overwhelmed, anxious, and mentally tired.

This article is not written by a therapist or a philosopher sitting on a mountain. It is written from the perspective of an ordinary person trying to understand why uncertainty feels so heavy and how we can live with it without breaking ourselves.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, confused, or emotionally exhausted because you don’t know what’s coming next, this is for you.

What Is Uncertainty, Really?.

Uncertainty is simply not knowing what will happen next. But emotionally, it is much more than that. It is the feeling of standing on unstable ground. One moment you feel okay, the next moment your mind starts asking questions you cannot answer.

Will this job last? Am I choosing the right career? What if I fail? What if I disappoint myself or others?

Uncertainty doesn’t hurt because of the future itself. It hurts because the human mind wants predictability. We want clear timelines, clear results, and clear answers. When we don’t get them, the mind starts filling the gaps with fear. And fear, when left unchecked, grows very fast.

Why the Human Brain Hates Uncertainty.

Our brain is designed for survival, not peace. Long ago, uncertainty meant danger. Not knowing what was hiding in the dark could mean death. Even though we no longer live in forests, our brain still reacts the same way.

When the future is unclear, the brain thinks: “Something bad might happen. I need to stay alert.”

This constant alert mode creates: Overthinking, Restlessness, Anxiety, Difficulty focusing, Emotional exhaustion.

The problem is that modern uncertainty is not about physical danger. It is about careers, relationships, money, identity, and self-worth. But the brain treats it as an emergency anyway.

So when you feel overwhelmed by uncertainty, it’s not because you are weak. It’s because your brain is doing what it was trained to do — protect you.

The Illusion of Control

One of the biggest reasons uncertainty feels overwhelming is because we believe we should be in control. We are told: Plan everything. Set clear goals. Know exactly where you’re going.

But real life doesn’t work like that. No one really knows how their life will turn out. Even the people who look confident are often guessing as they go. They just don’t talk about it. The problem begins when we confuse preparation with control.

You can prepare: Learn skills,Save money,Improve habits.

But you cannot control: Outcomes, Other people’s decisions, Timing of success.

Trying to control what cannot be controlled creates mental pressure. And when reality doesn’t match our plans, we feel like failures. In truth, uncertainty is not a personal mistake. It is part of being human.

How Uncertainty Slowly Drains Us

Uncertainty rarely hits us all at once. It drains us slowly. It shows up as: Constant checking (messages, emails, results), Comparing yourself with others, Difficulty enjoying the present moment, Feeling behind in life, Losing confidence in your own decisions

You may still be functioning — going to work, talking to people, doing your responsibilities — but inside, you feel tired. Not physically, but mentally.

This kind of tiredness is hard to explain. You sleep, yet you don’t feel rested. You take breaks, yet your mind keeps running. That is the cost of unresolved uncertainty.

Why Avoiding Uncertainty Makes It Worse.

Most of us deal with uncertainty by avoiding it. We distract ourselves: Scrolling endlessly. Watching videos. Staying busy all the time.

Distraction gives temporary relief, but it doesn’t solve the problem. The uncertainty is still there, waiting. Avoidance teaches the mind one dangerous lesson: “I cannot handle this feeling.”

Once your mind believes that, uncertainty becomes even more frightening. Strength is not about eliminating uncertainty. Strength is about learning how to sit with it without panicking.

Redefining Strength.

We often think strength means confidence, certainty, and bold decisions. But real strength looks different. Real strength is: Admitting you don’t know. Continuing anyway. Feeling fear but not letting it stop you

It is quiet, not loud. It is showing up on days when motivation is low and clarity is missing. Strength is not clarity. Strength is movement without clarity.

Accept That Uncertainty Is Normal.

The first step is acceptance. Not positive thinking. Not motivation. Just acceptance. Tell yourself: “It makes sense that I feel this way. I don’t have all the answers right now.”

Acceptance reduces internal resistance. When you stop fighting the feeling, it loses some of its power.

You don’t need to feel confident to move forward. You just need to stop punishing yourself for not knowing.

Focus on What Is Within Reach.

When the future feels overwhelming, zoom in. Not on five years. Not on next year. On today.

Ask simple questions: What can I do in the next hour? What is one small action I can take today?

Small actions restore a sense of stability. They remind your brain that you are not helpless. You don’t need a perfect plan. You need a next step.

Build Emotional Tolerance.

You don’t overcome uncertainty by thinking your way out of it. You overcome it by increasing your ability to feel discomfort without reacting. This means: Letting anxious thoughts come and go. Not rushing to fix everything. Allowing uncomfortable emotions to exist

Emotions are temporary, even when they feel permanent. The more you allow discomfort, the less power it has over you.

Stop Comparing Your Timeline.

Comparison makes uncertainty unbearable. When you see others succeeding, it feels like proof that you are doing something wrong.

But you are only seeing highlights, not the confusion behind the scenes. Everyone’s life unfolds differently. Some people find direction early. Others find it later. Both paths are valid. Your timeline is not delayed. It is just different.

Build Inner Stability, Not External Certainty.

External certainty will always change. Jobs change. Relationships change. Plans change. Inner stability is what helps you survive uncertainty. Inner stability comes from: Self-trust. Emotional awareness. Values. When you trust yourself to handle whatever comes, uncertainty becomes less threatening.

Learning to Trust Yourself.

Trust doesn’t come from having answers. It comes from remembering: You’ve survived difficult moments before. You’ve adapted. You’ve learned

You don’t need to know the future to trust yourself. You just need to know that you can respond to it.

Uncertainty as a Teacher.

Uncertainty forces growth. It pushes you to: Reflect. Adapt. Let go of false identities.

Some of the most important changes in life begin with confusion. Clarity often comes after action, not before.

A More Honest Way to Live.

Living with uncertainty doesn’t mean giving up on goals. It means holding goals lightly. Working without attachment to outcomes. Showing up without guarantees. This way of living is quieter, humbler, and more honest.

You Are Not Behind.

If uncertainty feels overwhelming right now, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.

It means you are human. You are learning. You are in between chapters. And that space, as uncomfortable as it is, is where growth happens.

A Small Request From Me.

If this article helped you feel a little less alone, I’d really appreciate your support.

Follow MINDFULIZE for honest reflections on life, mindset, and growth.
Subscribe to stay connected and receive more thoughtful writing like this. Your support helps this space grow — slowly, genuinely, and meaningfully.

“Great writing takes time, quiet thinking, and long nights. If my articles gave you value, please consider supporting my growth with a small tip. Your support keeps the journey alive. ”❤

Thank you for reading.

Why Uncertainty Feels Overwhelming and How to Navigate It With Strength. was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’ll surely be rocking at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday when the Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL playoff matchup. But will it be “Beast Quake” rocking?

Seismic sensors installed at the stadium this week will determine whether the 12s — the Seahawks’ energetic fan base — can move the earth while cheering for the team.

It’s the latest scientific study with a sports tie-in from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), an organization that monitors earthquakes and volcanoes in Washington and Oregon.

On Monday, a PNSN field operations team installed six stations throughout Lumen Field to capture seismic energy produced by the collective movement of fans.

“With these six seismometers, we have Lumen Field ‘wired up’ and we can record exactly how the excitement of the crowd leads to shaking of the ground, much like an earthquake does,” PNSN Director Harold Tobin at the University of Washington said in a news release. “We expect the massive crowd of 12s to generate measurable seismic energy. It’s a fun way to show the world exactly how much, in a scientific way, and to learn something about the seismic waves in the process.”

The project builds on previous in-stadium deployments during Seahawks playoff games in 2014, 2015, and 2017. Marshawn Lynch’s legendary Beast Quake run against the New Orleans Saints was recorded in 2011.

Last fall, PNSN recorded the shaking down the street at T-Mobile Park during the Mariners’ historic playoff run. Seismic activity was recorded when Jorge Polanco hit a game-winning single to win a 15-inning marathon against the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the American League Division Series and when Geno Suárez hit a grand slam in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Based at the UW within the College of the Environment, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network operates over 700 seismic stations across Washington and Oregon.

PNSN will stream results Saturday through real-time seismograms available on pnsn.org during the Seahawks game. PNSN’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Bluesky will also share updates.

Related:

• Will Seahawks fans have reason to cheer against 49ers? Stadium cameras will capture the reaction

For every action during Saturday’s Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers NFL playoff game, there will hopefully be an equal and positive reaction from fans at Lumen Field. And it will all be caught on camera.

Whether or not there’s another dramatic tip to send the Niners packing, more than 68,000 fans in the stands will be captured in their seats by a multicamera system from Momento.

Chicago-based Momento first partnered with the Seahawks in October 2023. The company also captures images during Seattle Mariners and Kraken games.

There are 16 cameras positioned around Lumen Field, snapped by an operator during big plays when fans get to their feet and show excitement. Fans can search the Seahawks/Momento website for their section, row and seat number and see and download a variety of photos.

For the Seahawks vs. Rams “Thursday Night Football” game on Dec. 18, fans could search a drop-down menu for several big plays such as “JSN in in!” and “O-M-G Shaheed!”

The Seattle Times reported that Seahawks fans have downloaded 48,000 images so far this season, according to Momento founder and CEO Austin Fletcher. Mariners fans downloaded 100,000 images during the team’s postseason run, he added.

In a post on Facebook three years ago, Fletcher likened the technology to roller coaster ride photos, but for sports fans. The company partners with teams to drive increased fan engagement and revenue opportunities by selling photo prints and commemorative physical tickets featuring captured images.

Momento expanded its NFL partner roster in 2025 with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders. 

Fans worried about privacy or how their likeness is being used give up some of those rights based on the NFL’s and Lumen Field’s terms of use agreement for ticket holders. The Times noted that Momento does honor opt-out requests for fans who don’t want their images shown.

In an appearance on FOX 13 Seattle a few weeks ago, Momento COO Todd Albright said website visitors looking for images are only allowed to enter a couple of seat locations rather than being able to search endlessly for faces in the crowd.

The Seahawks and the 49ers play in an NFC divisional round playoff game Saturday in Seattle at 5 p.m. on FOX.

There is a quiet fear many of us live with every day. It doesn’t scream. It doesn’t always show up as panic. Most of the time, it hides behind words like planning, discipline, being responsible, or being realistic. But underneath all that, there is something else. The fear of losing control.

I didn’t realize this fear was running my life until I started asking myself one simple question: Why do I feel uncomfortable when things don’t go according to plan — even small things? Why does a delayed reply make me uneasy? Why does uncertainty feel heavier than actual failure? Why do I feel the need to know what’s next all the time?

This article is not written by a psychologist or a life coach. It’s written by someone who has lived inside this fear — and still does, sometimes.

If you’re someone who overthinks, plans excessively, struggles with uncertainty, or feels anxious when life feels unpredictable, this might feel familiar.

What Does “Losing Control” Actually Mean?

When we say we’re afraid of losing control, we usually imagine extreme situations: Losing our job, Losing money, Losing a relationship, Losing health. But in daily life, the fear is much smaller and more subtle.

It shows up as: Needing constant clarity, Wanting guarantees before taking action, Feeling anxious when outcomes are unknown, Trying to manage how others see us, Avoiding risks even when we want growth, Losing control doesn’t mean chaos.

It means not knowing. And the human mind hates not knowing. Uncertainty makes us feel exposed. Vulnerable. Small. So we try to control. Our schedule. Our emotions. Our image. Our future. Sometimes even other people.

Why Control Feels Like Safety.

Control gives an illusion of safety. When we feel in control, we believe: Nothing bad will happen, We can handle whatever comes, We won’t be surprised, We won’t be embarrassed or hurt.

This is why many of us: Over-plan our lives, Stick to routines even when they make us unhappy, Stay in jobs or relationships longer than we should, Avoid starting things we deeply care about, Control makes us feel prepared.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Control does not equal security. It only equals predictability. And predictability isn’t the same as happiness.

How the Fear of Losing Control Shapes Our Decisions.

We Choose Safety Over Meaning.

Many people don’t choose what they love. They choose what feels manageable. A “safe” career. A “practical” decision. A relationship that doesn’t challenge them.

Not because they don’t dream — but because dreams come with uncertainty. It’s easier to choose a path we can control than one that could change us. So we tell ourselves: “This is fine.” “Others have it worse.” “At least it’s stable.” But inside, something feels missing. Not pain. Not sadness. Just… emptiness.

We Overthink Instead of Acting.

Fear of losing control turns thinking into a trap. We analyze every possibility: What if it fails? What if I regret it? What if people judge me? What if I’m not good enough?

So we wait. We wait until we feel confident. We wait until things feel certain. We wait until the “right time.” But the right time never comes. Because certainty is something the mind asks for — but life never provides.

We Try to Control Outcomes, Not Effort.

Instead of focusing on what we can do, we obsess over what might happen. We want: Guaranteed success. Clear validation. Predictable rewards.

But life doesn’t work that way. The more we try to control outcomes, the more anxious we become — because outcomes are never fully in our hands. This constant tension slowly steals joy from the process.

Control and Relationships: A Hidden Struggle.

Fear of losing control affects how we love. We may: Fear emotional dependence, Avoid vulnerability, Try to manage how others feel about us, Struggle with trust, When we care deeply, we risk losing control.

So instead of loving freely, we love carefully. We hold back. We protect ourselves. We don’t fully open up. And then we wonder why relationships feel shallow or exhausting. Control creates distance — even when we want closeness.

The Link Between Control and Anxiety.

Anxiety is often not about danger. It’s about uncertainty. When we don’t know what’s coming, the mind imagines everything that could go wrong.

So it tries to regain control through: Worrying, Planning, Rehearsing conversations, Predicting outcomes.

But anxiety grows stronger the more we try to control life. Because life keeps reminding us: You’re not in charge of everything.

Why Letting Go Feels So Hard.

Letting go sounds peaceful in theory. But in reality, it feels terrifying. Because letting go means: Accepting uncertainty, Trusting yourself without guarantees, Allowing things to unfold, Risking disappointment

It means standing without armor. And for many of us, control has been our armor for years. Without it, we feel exposed.

Control Often Comes From Past Pain.

Most people don’t crave control for no reason. It often comes from: Past failures. Childhood instability. Emotional neglect. Being hurt unexpectedly.

Control becomes a coping mechanism. “If I manage everything, nothing will hurt me again.” But this protection comes at a cost. The same wall that blocks pain also blocks joy.

How the Fear of Losing Control Steals Happiness.

We Can’t Fully Enjoy the Present.

If you’re always worried about what’s next, you miss what’s now. Even during good moments, the mind asks: How long will this last? What if it goes away? What’s the next problem? So happiness feels temporary — even when life is okay.

We Feel Tired All the Time.

Trying to control life is exhausting. Managing expectations. Managing emotions. Managing appearances. It’s a full-time mental job. And no matter how much effort we put in, life still surprises us. That’s why control eventually leads to burnout.

We Confuse Control With Self-Worth.

Some of us feel valuable only when we’re “handling everything.” Being calm. Being strong. Being composed. But the moment things fall apart, we feel like failures. We forget that being human includes uncertainty, mistakes, and mess.

What Happens When We Loosen Control (Even a Little).

Letting go doesn’t mean giving up. It means changing what we control. Instead of controlling outcomes, we control: Our effort. Our honesty. Our boundaries. Our response.

Something surprising happens when we do this. We feel lighter. Not because life becomes easier — but because we stop fighting reality.

Learning to Trust Yourself Instead of Control Life.

Control is often a lack of trust. Not in life — but in ourselves. We don’t trust that we can handle disappointment. We don’t trust that we can recover. We don’t trust that we’ll be okay. But think about it.

You’ve survived: Failures you thought would break you, Losses you didn’t plan for, Moments you had no control over, And you’re still here. Maybe you don’t need more control. Maybe you need more self-trust.

Practical Ways to Work With This Fear (Not Fight It).

Notice Where You Over-Control.

Ask yourself: Where am I trying to control the uncontrollable? What am I afraid would happen if I didn’t? Awareness itself reduces fear.

Take Small Uncontrolled Actions.

Do things without knowing the outcome. Post the article. Send the message. Try the new habit. Teach your nervous system that uncertainty is survivable.

Replace Control With Curiosity.

Instead of asking: “What if this fails?” Ask:
“What might I learn?” Curiosity softens fear.

Accept That Some Anxiety Is the Price of Growth.

Growth is uncomfortable. There’s no way around that. Trying to grow without uncertainty is like trying to swim without water.

A Gentle Truth.

You don’t need to eliminate the fear of losing control. You just need to stop letting it decide your life. Control feels safe. But freedom feels alive. And happiness rarely lives inside certainty.

If this article felt personal, it’s because it is. I’m still learning how to loosen my grip. I still catch myself trying to control the future. I still struggle with uncertainty.

But I’m slowly realizing something important: Life doesn’t need to be fully controlled to be meaningful. Sometimes, it needs to be trusted.

If this resonated with you…

If this article made you pause, reflect, or feel understood, I’d really appreciate your support.

Follow MINDFULIZE on Medium for more honest reflections on life, fear, growth, and the human mind.
Subscribe so you don’t miss future stories written from real experience, not perfection.

“Great writing takes time, quiet thinking, and long nights. If my articles gave you value, please consider supporting my growth with a small tip. Your support keeps the journey alive. Your presence here truly means a lot.

The Fear of Losing Control: How It Shapes Our Decisions and Happiness. was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Military Family Advisory Network is conducting its biennial survey to better understand the needs of military and veteran families worldwide. The survey — the largest independent research effort focused on the military family population — has helped shape major policy and quality-of-life reforms, including the Military Housing Privatization Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights and the creation of a congressional quality-of-life panel for service members and their families.

Unlike many surveys focused on military families, MFAN manages the research process internally from start to finish, which allows the organization to analyze its findings beyond broad, high-level trends.

“We know that there is not one experience that applies for all military families. There are a lot of variations based on where you’re living, based on your family size, based on your rank, based on your branch. And so what we’re able to do is dig into our findings in a way that gives us really concrete and actionable data, so that we’re not trying to boil the ocean with the solutions that we put in place,” Shannon Razsadin, MFAN’s chief executive officer, told Federal News Network.

“It’s very important, and it is very much counted on by a variety of different stakeholders as they shape policy and programs that military families count on,” she added.

MFAN opened the survey in October but paused its outreach efforts during the government shutdown. “We felt that it was too much to ask people in such a time of immense stress to take the time to complete the survey,” Razsadin said.

It has since ramped up outreach and is monitoring response rates to determine when to close the survey. The organization received over 10,000 responses in the last survey cycle. 

Razsadin said MFAN’s research has helped drive several quality-of-life reforms — the Senate Armed Services Committee relied on its study on military housing, which became the “cornerstone” for privatized housing reforms. When the organization’s research first identified food insecurity issues in the military, it launched the One Million Meals Challenge, distributing over a million meals to military families living in places where MFAN’s data showed the highest need.

Further analysis, however, revealed a key driver for food insecurity among military families — a previous study showed that 51% of respondents who had moved in the last two years were food insecure. In response, the organization launched its PCS Restock Program, providing families with household essentials and pantry staples after a permanent change of station move. 

“That’s a tangible example of how MFAN has used our data to drive really important programmatic decisions while at the same time advocating from the policy perspective, because policy takes time, and oftentimes military families don’t have that luxury. These things are about moving on parallel tracks, with the ultimate goal of those intersecting from where programs and policies can meet,” Razsadin said.

“This research effort is for a whole-of-ecosystem approach, because there is no one organization out there, even the government, who can do all things for all people. And so it’s really making sure that we have the data, we are sharing it proactively. We are maintaining the highest levels of institutional review board standards so you can trust this data, that it has gone through the most rigorous review process possible. That has been very helpful for us in making sure this research effort stands up on the Hill, within the Pentagon, to make sure that it can really drive the change possible,” she added.

Issues covered in the survey

The survey examines a wide range of military family wellbeing issues, including finances, housing, childcare and PCS moves, but respondents are only asked questions relevant to their life. Respondents without children, for instance, won’t be asked about education and childcare.

While the survey includes perennial questions asked in every cycle, the organization introduces new topic areas based on feedback from the community. This year, MFAN added questions examining online gambling.

“We’ve heard a lot, and just even outside the military population, online gambling has hit a new level. It is very accessible, and it’s something that we want to understand what’s happening there. But also, what are the intersection points between things like online gambling and financial security? What are some of the intersection points between that and loneliness or social isolation? We’re really interested to see if this is something that is a broad issue or is something that is being consumed at very high levels within the military population, but what also are some of the implications related to that, and what could be some of those drivers that we’ll need to dig deeper into as an organization,” Razsadin said. 

For the first time, MFAN has incorporated methodology designed to produce findings representative of the broader military community. Razsadin said it will allow the organization to speak more confidently about trends across the military population rather than just the experiences of survey respondents.

“It was an intensive effort from a research design perspective, and we’re really looking forward to releasing those findings, and we think that it will give the data even more legs than it had before,” Razsadin said.

MFAN also uses validated measurement scales throughout the survey, which allows the organization to create “apples-to-apples comparisons” between the military population and the civilian population. 

“This allows us to really have data that we can then bring to the Hill and other stakeholders and say, ‘This is how the military population is stacking up as compared to the civilian population,’ which has been really helpful for us in the advocacy work that we do as an organization,” Razsadin said.

Recently, the organization has been focusing its advocacy efforts on increasing military pay and examining the basic allowance for housing, particularly how the system could be made more responsive — and possibly more predictive — to changing housing market conditions. The survey data will shape MFAN’s policy priorities for the next several years.

“It’s so important that we hear from people through this research effort, because it really does shape the future as far as what is discussed within the Pentagon, what is discussed on the Hill, and making sure that the well-being of military families always stays at the forefront as not just a nice-to-have, but as a must-have, and that’s more important now than ever,” Razsadin said.

MFAN plans to release its findings in May.

The post Military Family Advisory Network survey seeks to shape policy first appeared on Federal News Network.

Pebble revives its round smartwatch with a bigger e-paper display, weeks-long battery life, physical buttons, and a $199 price tag.

The post Pebble Revives Its Thinnest Smartwatch Ever appeared first on TechRepublic.

Pebble revives its round smartwatch with a bigger e-paper display, weeks-long battery life, physical buttons, and a $199 price tag.

The post Pebble Revives Its Thinnest Smartwatch Ever appeared first on TechRepublic.

Holiday cheers turned to jeers directed at Amazon last week as some film fans were surprised by a gutted version of the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Prime Video.

The 1946 film stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who learns the value of his life after seeing what the world would be like without him.

In a story on Christmas Day, the New York Post called out Amazon for airing a “butchered” version of the film that is shorter than the original and missing a key sequence that the newspaper calls “the movie’s emotional core.”

Unsuspecting viewers who clicked on the cut copy vented on social media, calling it “an abomination” and “sacrilege.”

A search of the movie title on Prime Video on Monday morning brought up a few options, including a black and white version, a color version, and one clearly marked “abridged.” That version included a description which read, in part, “a condensed ending but still contains all the sweetness and Christmas wonder.”

It’s unclear if Amazon recently added the “abridged” labeling on that version. We reached out to the company for comment and will update when we hear back.

The Post story, and an accompanying video (below), detailed how the missing sequence factors into the film as a distraught George Bailey — who wishes he’d never been born — sees how his hometown of Bedford Falls devolves into a corrupt, neon-lit “Pottersville” without his existence.

The sequence helps Bailey realize how important his simple life is in shaping the fate of many, and his despair turns to joy.

The existence of the shorter version of the movie is not the work of Amazon editors, but rather is rooted in the copyright history of the film, as the Post points out.

A 2022 University of Connecticut law school blog post explains how the film fell into the public domain when its distributor failed to renew its copyright in 1974. This lapse helped turn “It’s a Wonderful Life” into a holiday classic because TV stations freely aired the movie for decades around Christmas without paying royalties.

In the 1990s, Republic Pictures regained control of the movie when it argued that it held properly maintained rights to two underlying elements: the original short story “The Greatest Gift,” by Philip Van Doren Stern, and the musical score by Dimitri Timokin.

Television networks were directed to stop playing “It’s a Wonderful Life” without permission or the payment of royalties. The Post reported that the abridged version appears to be a workaround that removes the “Pottersville” sequence to avoid infringing on a key portion most directly adapted from the short story.

Anxious skiers and snowboarders refreshing social media and other websites for updates on Washington’s Stevens Pass have a new tool to track the resort’s delayed opening: a streamlined status page built by a snowboarding software engineer.

Matheus Gonçalves, a 25-year tech veteran, started snowboarding about five years ago. He’s been a pass holder at Stevens since he learned to ride, and like many winter sports enthusiasts, he’s been watching and waiting as the region recovers from extreme rainfall and flooding.

Posting on Reddit as @toadgeek, Gonçalves said he created his simple website as a one-stop update spot for Stevens and U.S. Highway 2 because he “got tired of playing browser tab whack a mole” while seeking information.

“For those of us who rely on snow sports as a physical activity, winter mental health and happiness outlet, the uncertainty and closures have been frustrating,” Gonçalves told GeekWire via email.

He acknowledged that anyone feeling anxious or impatient about getting to the mountain should remember all that has happened this month.

“The region has dealt with serious weather impacts, including flooding, landslides, and road washouts,” Gonçalves said. “WSDOT crews have been working hard to keep people safe and restore access. They are the highest priority now.”

While the weather dealt a blow to openings at other Washington resorts, the prospects for the season at Stevens have looked especially dire because of flood damage on Highway 2.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Stevens, which is owned by Vail Resorts, said the mountain has “received a good amount of snow” and is “working through intermittent power outages.” The resort added that it’s “encouraged by the recent updates from WSDOT.”

The delay has sparked friction over Vail’s refund policies. In another Instagram post, the resort noted that passes remain non-refundable because they are valid all season. “Our Epic Coverage refund policy does not extend to road or traffic challenges,” the resort stated.

Gonçalves said it’s important to remember that beyond the road repairs and broader weather impacts, “opening dates can swing a lot year to year, and this kind of timing is not unheard of.”

Gonçalves built his website to provide a data-driven answer without predictions. It pulls road status from WSDOT public APIs, pulls resort operations from Stevens Pass official pages, and loosely uses official social accounts only as secondary confirmation.

He’s been iterating after hours, keeping it intentionally simple, with a cache that refreshes every 20 minutes. He plans to add small context improvements like separate eastbound and westbound road status, clearer timestamps, and maybe some direct links back to each official source. He also might add a minimal weather station snapshot and links out to NOAA forecasts. He plans to keep the site up after everything opens.

Gonçalves isn’t alone in coding for the community. Another snowboarder on Reddit, OtoNoOto, highlighted a site called Stevens Pass Companion that shares similar information and plans to expand to data on all Washington resorts.

For Gonçalves, who grew up surfing and skateboarding in Brazil before moving to the U.S. more than a decade ago, the project is about maximizing a fleeting season.

“Snow is unbeatable,” he said. “I’m not getting any younger, so I’m going to make the best of every season I can for as long as my body allows.”

Launched in March, NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky in 102 colors. While not visible to the human eye, these 102 infrared wavelengths of light are prevalent in the cosmos, and observing the entire sky this way enables scientists to answer big questions, including how a dramatic event that occurred in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang influenced the 3D distribution of hundreds of millions of galaxies in our universe. In addition, scientists will use the data to study how galaxies have changed over the universe’s nearly 14 billion-year history and learn about the distribution of key ingredients for life in our own galaxy.  

“It’s incredible how much information SPHEREx has collected in just six months — information that will be especially valuable when used alongside our other missions’ data to better understand our universe,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We essentially have 102 new maps of the entire sky, each one in a different wavelength and containing unique information about the objects it sees. I think every astronomer is going to find something of value here, as NASA’s missions enable the world to answer fundamental questions about how the universe got its start, and how it changed to eventually create a home for us in it.” 

Circling Earth about 14½ times a day, SPHEREx (which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) travels from north to south, passing over the poles. Each day it takes about 3,600 images along one circular strip of the sky, and as the days pass and the planet moves around the Sun, SPHEREx’s field of view shifts as well. After six months, the observatory has looked out into space in every direction, capturing the entire sky in 360 degrees. 

Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the mission began mapping the sky in May and completed its first all-sky mosaic in December. It will complete three additional all-sky scans during its two-year primary mission, and merging those maps together will increase the sensitivity of the measurements. The entire dataset is freely available to scientists and the public.  

“SPHEREx is a mid-sized astrophysics mission delivering big science,” said JPL Director Dave Gallagher. “It’s a phenomenal example of how we turn bold ideas into reality, and in doing so, unlock enormous potential for discovery.”  

Superpowered telescope 

Each of the 102 colors detected by SPHEREx represents a wavelength of infrared light, and each wavelength provides unique information about the galaxies, stars, planet-forming regions, and other cosmic features therein. For example, dense clouds of dust in our galaxy where stars and planets form radiate brightly in certain wavelengths but emit no light (and are therefore totally invisible) in others. The process of separating the light from a source into its component wavelengths is called spectroscopy.  

And while a handful of previous missions has also mapped the entire sky, such as NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, none have done so in nearly as many colors as SPHEREx. By contrast, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope can do spectroscopy with significantly more wavelengths of light than SPHEREx, but with a field of view thousands of times smaller. The combination of colors and such a wide field of view is why SPHEREx is so powerful. 

“The superpower of SPHEREx is that it captures the whole sky in 102 colors about every six months. That’s an amazing amount of information to gather in a short amount of time,” said Beth Fabinsky, the SPHEREx project manager at JPL. “I think this makes us the mantis shrimp of telescopes, because we have an amazing multicolor visual detection system and we can also see a very wide swath of our surroundings.” 

To accomplish this feat, SPHEREx uses six detectors, each paired with a specially designed filter that contains a gradient of 17 colors. That means every image taken with those six detectors contains 102 colors (six times 17). It also means that every all-sky map that SPHEREx produces is really 102 maps, each in a different color.  

The observatory will use those colors to measure the distance to hundreds of millions of galaxies. Though the positions of most of those galaxies have already been mapped in two dimensions by other observatories, SPHEREx’s map will be in 3D, enabling scientists to measure subtle variations in the way galaxies are clustered and distributed across the universe.  

Those measurements will offer insights into an event that took place in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang. In this moment, called inflation, the universe expanded by a trillion-trillionfold. Nothing like it has occurred in the universe since, and scientists want to understand it better. The SPHEREx mission’s approach is one way to help in that effort. 

More about SPHEREx 

The SPHEREx mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The telescope and the spacecraft bus were built by BAE Systems. The science analysis of the SPHEREx data is being conducted by a team of scientists at 10 institutions across the U.S., and in South Korea and Taiwan. Data is processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA. The mission’s principal investigator is based at Caltech with a joint JPL appointment. The SPHEREx dataset is publicly available. 

For more information about the SPHEREx mission visit: 

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spherex/

News Media Contacts

Calla Cofield 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
626-808-2469 
calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov 

2025-144

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