Embracing Uncertainty.

To stop existing and start living.

Uncertainty and resilience have unwillingly become my favorite topics over the past couple of months. 

A few days ago, I watched „Xanax” on Netflix, and not long ago, I finished watching ‘Dopesick’ - a series on the opioid crisis (highly recommend). I layered it with meeting a group of 4 young, bright people last summer who check all the boxes on the surface ‚, and are battling anxiety. 

That left me with a feeling that many of us are not OK these days.

Some medicate themselves with prescription drugs, others with marijuana to take the edge off, while others read horoscopes and get into manifesting (as in „The Secret”).

It’s all about having a psychological safety net and taking the pain of the discomfort away.

Certainty and Uncertainty seem to be the key players in the arena. 

Uncertainty, the great Unknown, often scares us, derails our motivation and dedication, and keeps us from committing to something. 

The struggle in life is a given, but the outcomes remain unknown; the reward is uncertain. 

I am not free from my own share of stresses and unknowns. I long for more control, calm, and certainty.

Sure, I would love to have an encouraging „It will all work out just fine!” in the back of my head at all times when I have my doubts about which path to walk. But I rarely experience Uncertainty as a debilitating feeling.

Still, I feel that there’s room for improvement and growth here.

Uncertainty is here to stay. 

Uncertainty won’t go away any time soon; if anything, we’ll have more of it as the old structures crumble and a new order - that largely resembles pure chaos - emerges. 

If we try to desperately hold onto an illusory sense of security, we’re screwed. 

More than ever, we need to be calm, grounded, resilient, open, and flexible. 

I see so many people trying to do psychic work and, in times of Uncertainty, turn to some magical, wishful thinking, trying to restore some sense of control in life. 

But that’s a dangerous path. 

The sooner you realize that the only way is through, the better. 

Two types of Uncertainty.

We tend to see Uncertainty as a flat phenomenon, but there is more to it. 

There is Uncertainty that comes from unwelcome circumstances, such as getting sacked, facing a pandemic, or a serious health problem. 

For this type of Uncertainty, we need a lot of resilience. 

But there is also another type, an ‚invited’ Uncertainty when we stretch our comfort zone and go into uncharted territory. As long as we stay within our growth zone and not panic zone, it can give us a positive tingle and invigorate us. 

For this type of Uncertainty, we need curiosity, groundedness, and openness. 

I had to translate many scary messages my brain kept sending to me that it’s ok not to know what’s ahead and still thrive. 

Does loss aversion control your life? 

Why don’t so many give their dreams a go? 

Often due to loss aversion. 

Our loss aversion is twice as strong as our motivation to gain something. 

So yes, maybe the new business idea excites us, but it also scares us as hell if we have something more than our reputation at stake. 

But if you stick to your comfort zone, you may win the battle and lose the war. 

„If you are burned out, depressed, and have given up on your dreams, it may be that you aren’t allowing enough uncertainty into your life, which is the only way to imagine and live new ways of being into reality.” - The Upside of Uncertainty

Trying to control all situations to feel safe all the time is overrated and makes our life dull and depressing. 

There’s surviving, existing, and living. 

Learn how to face and embrace Uncertainty instead of running away from it; it will find you anyway.