Let’s get one thing straight: embracing uncertainty is a journey. It never really ends.
You could look at this and hang your head, or you could view it as an opportunity to master your emotions and emerge from uncertainty stronger than before. This is called
reframing, and I’ve written about it before. Reframing is when you take a not-so-great situation and paint it in vibrant, more hopeful colors. It’s restructuring your assessment to put a positive, more productive spin on it.
How to Embrace Uncertainty
First, you have to acknowledge the feeling. You have to accept that you’re feeling uncertain. To move through an uncomfortable feeling, you have to accept that you’re having an uncomfortable feeling in the first place.
This has several benefits. It makes you self-aware, which makes you more alert and ready to handle the unknown. Acknowledging uncertainty also starts an important process in this journey. It gets you into planning mode.
Now, too much planning can be problematic, but just enough prepares you for an uncertain future. Planning is taking productive action based on your current uncertainty. It ties into the reframing you did earlier.
If reframing is shifting your thoughts, planning is shifting your response to those thoughts. Reframing and planning are a powerful combo when used in the right way.
Acknowledging leads to reframing, which leads to positive and productive planning.
This is a process that you can repeat as many times as you need to. What’s great about this journey is that you gain knowledge as you move down the road.
For me, I’m not sure I’ll ever fully overcome uncertainty, but I don’t think that’s the point.
Embracing uncertainty is like taming the wind. You’ll never bottle up the wind and fully control it, but you can learn to use it to your advantage.
It’s a new week. I hope you get off to a strong start!
Jordan
P.S. I will be emailing the first book club cohort soon about how the Mental Health Book Club is going to work. If you’re wanting to connect with others and learn about mental health in a new way,
there’s still time to sign up.