Embracing Uncertainty

Life is uncertain: we can never be 100% sure what is going to happen. Some people are OK with this and find it easy to embrace new experiences.

Other people struggle with uncertainty: it is almost as if they have a phobia of it, and they often do things like worry or plan in attempts to reduce uncertainty.

worry

plan

Intolerant of uncertainty

Motivation:

seek certainty (safety).

Behaviour:

worry, plan, check, avoid, seek reassurance, routine & habit.

Situations that are:

Ambiguous

Novel

Unpredictable

Embraces uncertainty

seek new experiences.

open, curious, spontaneous, willing to tolerate discomfort.

Embracing uncertainty can allow you to enjoy more of life, and to respond more flexibly to challenges that come your way. One way of doing this is to gradually introduce uncertain events into your life. Try to embrace uncertainty by experimenting with some of the tasks below:

Walk a different route.

Order something new from the menu in a restaurant.

Try a new class.

Go somewhere you have never been.
See a film at the cinema without reading reviews.

Have a different lunch every day.

Read a different newspaper, or something by a new author.

Talk to someone you don’t know (ask a question, pay them a compliment).

Wear something ‘new’ for you (e.g. style, brand).

Do an activity that you have avoided so far.

Talk about things that are more ‘risky’ for you (e.g. politics, yourself, opinions).

Listen to music that you wouldn’t normally listen to.

Sit in a different place than you normally do.

Delegate tasks to others.

Sleep on a different side of the bed.

Try a different brand of toothpaste.

Tips for embracing uncertainty:

Adopt the mindset that it is good for you to take small risks and challenge yourself.

Make ‘trying new things’ a regular part of your life.

You’re trying to build a ‘tolerance of uncertainty muscle’ so you will need to practice regularly.

Maintain a curious and open approach by focusing on the outcome of your experiments, not on the emotional experience:

What did you learn? What did you experience that was new and exciting? What did that experiment do for your confidence?

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing.

He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love.

Chained by his certitude, he is a slave; he has forfeited his freedom.

Only the person who risks is truly free.