In honour of predictability

[00:00:00] **Aurooba Ahmed:** Well, hello! This is The Daily Five with Aurooba, that's me, where we reflect on creating our best lives a little bit every day. Here we go.

[00:00:16] I was thinking about how nice predictability is today. It's comforting to know that there are certain things you can count on. Like the sun rising every morning, or your favorite coffee shop having your order ready just the way you like it. Or in my case, it would be the khachapuri at the local cafe, because that stuff is so delicious, and they make it perfect every single time.

[00:00:41] In this world of constant change and flux, these small constants can feel like an anchor. They ground us, they give us a sense of stability and continuity. They are dependable, reliable, and there is comfort in that. There is a kind of beauty in the predictable. It's in the rhythm of the changing seasons. It's the ticking of a clock, the ebb and flow of the tide. It's the smell of your favorite meal cooking and the warmth of a familiar smile.

[00:01:14] That is not to say that novelty, surprise, or change aren't important or good, because we know that they are. Indeed, they add spice and excitement to life, they reinvigorate and allow us to grow. But having a balance between the predictable and the unpredictable is what creates harmony. Too much predictability creates rot. Too much change creates landslides. We talk a lot about change on this podcast implicitly and explicitly. We talk about how to normalize change, how to make new things less new and more predictable. We embrace change.

[00:01:56] But today I'm here to admire and revel in the things that don't change. In the predictability of a friend's behavior and the trust a predictable development test can foster. I want to appreciate the constants because today is a day when I'm finding immense comfort in their reliability and predictability.

[00:02:21] It's comforting that if I apply sufficient heat to water, it will boil, and then I can drop a brick of instant noodles in it, some soup base, and spices, and in about five minutes or so, I'll have a soupy ramen that warms my insides on a cold, cold day and reminds me of my childhood.

[00:02:43] When change is afoot, as it often is, but especially when a lot of change is afoot, we naturally seek ways to mitigate that shaking of the ground beneath our feet. Some people try to stop the change itself, this is often an unproductive way to handle the situation. So I'd like to offer a little something different for you, and for me, to consider. Think about what you can bookend the feelings of change with.

[00:03:11] Is change afoot in your family? Find predictability in something else in your day. Perhaps in the kitchen, or in the comfort of a favorite book or something. Is change afoot in your professional life? Find predictable and reliable comfort in the parts that aren't changing, or in something outside work.

[00:03:30] Today, for me, predictability is comfort, relief, and safety, almost. That doesn't mean I'm not also courageous, brave, and sometimes brazen. It just means that we can't be those things all the time, and it's okay to want solid footing instead of the muddy and sometimes slippery mess the ground can become during springtime. I know we've had a bunch of different metaphors in this episode already, but I hope that it still gets the point across.

[00:04:04] Change is good. Predictability is also good. Find ways to create the predictable, or have the support of the predictable when change gets to be too much. And know that it's okay to feel exhausted from change sometimes. And know that it's also okay to want change sometimes. Both are good, both are needed, balance is good.

[00:04:33] The balance will always tip to one side or the other at some points, but eventually you want some equilibrium, even if it is just for a little bit of time, and you can often create that for yourself, so remember that you can, and then do it.

[00:04:54] Thanks for listening, same time tomorrow?