“Uncertainty can show you many beautiful destinations that you never knew existed. Uncertainty can put you on paths you never believed you would be on.”

—Nancy Salmeron

I have been on a journey of uncertainty for the last five years, ever since I left my profession as an educator and began my life coaching business, Believe. Change. Become. Just when I think I have something figured out in my life, business, or personal relationships, something else comes up that I need to figure out or to learn. According to Wikipedia, uncertainty refers[DM2] to “the lack of certainty, a state of limited knowledge where it is impossible to exactly describe the existing state, a future outcome, or more than one possible outcome.”

It took me a while to get on the road of uncertainty because I needed to feel secure that when I took the leap to the unknown, I would know how I would fall. I needed to have a solid plan on how things were going to come undone. I needed to feel a sense of security that the fall would be gentle and smooth. I needed to have assurance that life would be ok as I decided to change the known for the uncertain. But it was impossible to have all those assurances, and finally, I took the leap into the unknown, into uncertainty, anyway.

Five years later, I have learned a great deal about being an entrepreneur in a service-based business, yet I still have a lot to learn and many opportunities to grow. As I reflect on my past life, I ask myself, “Was I ever certain of anything then?” I was under the illusion that if I followed the path most traveled, the results would be positive and certain. As an educator, I planned lessons, taught, and evaluated students, but my life was never certain. I could have been diagnosed with a terminal disease or been in a car accident; life could have introduced me to something different.

We do not pursue change, because we like certainty. Certainty is comfortable. We do not follow our dreams, because we do not have an assurance that we can make them true. We need certainty, an assurance that if we take a journey into unclear waters, we will come out ok. I have news for you, beautiful soul. You will never have certainty. Nothing is ever promised, and nothing is ever assured. Taking steps and precautions toward a result that you are seeking can get you on the way to your dreams or desires, but the outcome is never guaranteed. So, should you waste your time pursuing a life that is not guaranteed? Yes! Yes! Yes! As you stop fearing uncertainty, as you seek the unknown, the universe conspires to give you some clarity. It may be clarity about what steps or roads you need to take or clarity to understand that whatever road you are on is perfect. The key to getting what you want while living with uncertainty is to be comfortable with confusion, chaos, and the unknown. If you want to be successful in life or business, you must be willing to not completely know how you will get to your final destination but know with certainty that you will. Today, let us talk about three things you can do to get more comfortable with uncertainty.

Let change in.

If you want to get comfortable with uncertainty, you must be willing to welcome change. And then, you must get comfortable and sit with change. Change has a bad rap because it takes you away from your comfort zone. We are creatures of habit. We like to believe that we can control every moment of our lives. The reality is that we never fully control anything. Life can change on you in an instant.  

Get comfortable with surrender.

Let it go, let it go. Trust and surrender. If you want to accomplish your dreams and life goals, you need to put action into what you desire. Then, you must let it go. You must trust that, whatever the outcome, it is going to be a good one. Uncertainty can show you many beautiful destinations that you never knew existed. Uncertainty can put you on paths you never believed you would be on.

Be willing to learn and grow.

The willingness to learn through uncertainty will result in your personal growth. The beautiful thing about the unknown is that it pushes you to discover new things about yourself and others. If you trust the process and are open to new lessons, you will bloom.

We tend to believe that the journey or road most-traveled equates to certainty. We avoid disruptions and chaos, and welcome lives that do not excite us. We like certainty because change can be uncomfortable. Let me remind you again; nothing is certain. Life is about change, chaos, and disruption. Life is about stumbles and falls. It is how you handle what life throws at you that will give you certainty. Become certain that you are strong; become wise and know you can overcome anything. Welcome change, but also seek it. Trust that whatever life brings you is something you need for your personal growth. Surrender to what life offers you. And do not ever forget that nothing is ever certain, and nothing is ever promised. Until next time, Believe. Change. Become.