The year 2020 started a period of high uncertainty. Many businesses shut down around the world, people lost their jobs or feared they may lose them, friends and families got separated. The world changed at a very fast pace, touching everyone’s lives. This period of high uncertainty will continue for years to come. How do we learn to live with uncertainty? Are there any positive aspects to uncertainty?
In Episode 14 of Beautiful Ghosts podcast (listen in your favourite podcast app, YouTube, or website) we discussed uncertainty. Why do we have a fear of uncertainty? How do we cope with it? How do we transform it into an opportunity for growth?
The fear of uncertainty
A few months ago, Mariana had to face the challenge of moving houses. After living in her house for many years, she really loved the place. Next to the beach, where she could have a really good time surfing, playing with her dogs, and connecting with her many friends in the community. Then the owner decided to sell the house and she was given 3 months to find a new place. Where could she go? Would she find another place as good as the one she had?
Uncertainty can be unsettling. As Nico explained, we like feeling in control of our destinies and uncertainty produces a tension with that feeling. There is a fear that our personal wellbeing will be affected and we tend to focus on negative outcomes rather than positive ones. This is instinctive. The brain tends to focus on sources of danger as this is what has allowed our ancestors to avoid harm from dangerous situations and survive. But this fear may become irrational and exaggerated.
In addition, the fear of uncertainty may prevent us from facing new challenges and perhaps become too comfortable with our current situation. A few years ago, I had a comfortable job. However, it was very clear that my opportunities for growth were very limited. Receiving a regular salary when you have a young family and a mortgage is comforting but I just didn’t feel in the right environment. I had an idea for a startup project but I needed to get funding for it. What should I do? Should I leave my job and embark on a completely uncertain project with no funding?
Managing uncertainty
Uncertainty is always there, whether we like or not. A job that may seem completely secure, may suddenly become redundant, as we have seen in 2020. We are not able to avoid uncertainty, but we can learn to manage it.
With 4 or 5 weeks left to moving out, Mariana thought she had found a place but this in the end didn’t happen. Fear of uncertainty kicked in again. Her negative thoughts started snowballing and she went into panic mode. That’s when she used one of her favourite tools, meditation. As she breathed and relaxed, the negative thoughts disappeared and she started seeing the situation in a more positive light. Mindfulness, meditation, and reflection are excellent ways to manage uncertainty.
Being prepared is another great way to manage uncertainty. If losing your job would put you in a very difficult situation, be prepared for it. Continually work on your CV, keep learning new skills, save money.
When I left my job to start my project with no funding, I had saved enough money to last me 8 months. That was exactly the amount of time it took to get the funding. It was a very difficult and uncertain period, but I had prepared and that helped me through.
Sometimes it is just accepting that there are aspects we are not in control. Focusing on what we can control will help managing the uncertainty. I like asking myself the question, what is the worst that could happen? In general, the worst outcome is not really that bad and more positive outcomes are more likely.
Uncertainty brings opportunity
It is these positive aspects of uncertainty we now turn to. If we are really honest with ourselves, certainty is boring, while uncertainty is challenging and brings the best out of ourselves. If I told you how the rest of your life will unfold and that this was certain, even if all your dreams would come true, you would be disappointed. The enjoyment comes from having gone through difficult periods of uncertainty when you didn’t know what was going to happen.
Mariana did not find a house in time before her moving date and ended up having to move to a room offered to her by friends. This was not what she had in mind but had to adjust to it. Recently she found a place just as good as the one she had, if not better.
We’ve talked about how losing your job can be perceived as devastating. Nico, commented how one of his friends saw it as a blessing. Sometimes we need to be put in difficult situations first to force us to move to the next level. What is important is to be able to focus on those positive outcomes rather than on negative ones. Uncertainty can make life interesting.
After leaving my job, I did get the funding and I have been working on my startup project ever since. As any startup, the uncertainty has continued for almost 5 years. We had to overcome incredible challenges just to be able to keep the project alive. And although commercial success hasn’t come yet, the experience in itself has been one of the most interesting experiences in my life.
Another one of my most interesting experiences is Beautiful Ghosts. Born from the uncertainty of the pandemic, Nico, Mariana, and I, focused on the opportunities to start something new. Out of the teleconference calls we were having forced by the circumstances, we realised we could turn them into a podcast. Uncertainty brings opportunity.
Embracing uncertainty
Uncertainty is part of life and we need to not only manage it, but embrace it. If we learn to manage the fear of uncertainty and transform the uncertainty into opportunities for growth, we will get excited every time we feel the wind of change blowing in the air.
Make an impact,
Pablo
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This blog post was originally published in Beautiful Ghosts