What If Your Need for Certainty Is Holding You Back?
We map out five year career plans, want assurances before saying yes and hold on to metrics, trends, and best practices like lifelines in rough seas. But what if our need for certainty isn’t just pointless, it’s harmful?
The Price of the Control Illusion
Certainty gives the illusion of safety. It’s why we overprepare, stay in dysfunctional systems, or remain in jobs that drain us. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Certainty is a fantasy sold by a society scared of not knowing.
The stock market? Unstable. Relationships? Complicated. Technology? Built to disrupt. Still, we cling to the belief that spreadsheets and rules can tame chaos. What do we lose? Opportunities. Creativity. A life spent waiting instead of doing.
Uncertainty Is Nature’s Norm
Look outside—trees twist, rivers shift course, evolution depends on random changes. Nature isn’t careless; it’s flexible. It doesn’t resist change—it grows stronger through it.
The same is true for human progress. Every major leap—fire, the wheel, the internet—came from embracing the unknown. The printing press wasn’t a guaranteed success. Neither was the iPhone. Certainty is a story we tell in hindsight.
The Real Threat Is Staying Still
We’ve mistaken risk for danger. Risk is moving into the unknown. Danger is clinging to what no longer works. Blockbuster stuck with DVDs; Netflix bet on streaming. Kodak made the digital camera, then shelved it to protect its film business. Being wrong isn’t the threat—not evolving is.
Fear of uncertainty isn’t weakness. It’s old wiring. Our brains were built to survive, not grow. Today, that survival instinct can trick us into seeking fake safety. The solution? Practice leaning into discomfort.
How to Get Comfortable with the Unknown
- Turn “I Don’t Know” Into Power
Admitting you don’t know everything can be freeing. A chef doesn’t wait for guarantees before trying a new recipe. A scientist doesn’t stop after one failed experiment. Take one decision you’ve been stuck on—make it today.
- Start with Small Risks
Embracing uncertainty doesn’t mean cliff diving. It means sending that email before you feel ready. Launching a rough draft. Asking “What if?” instead of “What’s worked before?” Small risks build big courage.
- Choose Community Over Control
People chasing certainty isolate. Those who embrace the unknown collaborate. Share unfinished ideas. Ask for feedback. Surround yourself with people who ask, “Why not?” not just “Why?” A solo sailor fears storms—a crew thrives in them.
- Train in Discomfort
Set a five-minute timer. List the assumptions you’re clinging to. Cross one out. Notice the discomfort? That’s growth happening. Make it a habit.
- Focus on Learning, Not Perfecting
Outcomes are unpredictable. But growth? That’s lasting. Did you learn something? Adapt faster? Connect with someone new? These are the wins that matter.
Your Story Creates Your Reality
A weak adhesive was invented by accident at 3M. They didn’t throw it away, they asked, “What could this be used for?” Hello, Post-it Notes. Years later, a game developer built a recipe organizer for his wife. That tool? Excel.
Uncertainty isn’t the problem—our stories about it are. The moment you call uncertainty “bad,” you shut down imagination. What if you renamed it “possibility”?
Here’s the Challenge You Didn’t Know You Needed
You can’t erase uncertainty. But you can stop letting it freeze you. Right now, pick one area where you’ve been holding out for a sure thing—and just act.
Send that proposal. Have the hard conversation. Share your draft. Not because you know it’ll work—but because doing it will teach you more than any plan ever could.
The goal isn’t to control the unknown, it’s to move with it and to let it change you.
The world doesn’t need more safe, forgettable work. It needs your wild ideas, your bold voice, your imperfect but brave leaps.
So what’s stopping you?