Dear Entrepreneur, Read This When The Future Seems Unclear

Call it what you want — the dark night of the soul, a transition period, writer’s block, a new adventure, or rock bottom — but every journey has a bend in the road. And, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t see what’s around the corner. The future is unclear.

And an unclear future only adds to the overwhelming sense of finding yourself in a territory unknown. Have you been there? Do you want to know how to keep moving ahead? I know I do.

In whatever liminal threshold of life you may find yourself, it is natural to focus on the unknown —but take heart and remember that in every unknown, there is always something known. Finding and defining what is known can be a catalyst toward clarity and an inspiration to keep moving through the bend of any road.

Finding and defining what is known can be a catalyst toward clarity and an inspiration to keep moving through the bend of any road.

A dream of a story

I recall a dream where I was standing at such a bend looking at a snow covered road, beautiful trees on both sides which obscured the view ahead. I noticed a feeling on my shoulders: it was my backpack sitting comfortably against my back. I had heavy, insulated boots. I felt a scarf around my neck, the coat around my body, gloves on my hands. And yet, one thing I noticed was absent: a heartbeat.

I was paralyzed, standing at this bend in the road, looking at what otherwise would have been a beautiful landscape. Maybe I was terrified at the thought that nothing good waited beyond the curve. Or maybe I was scared to death of being rejected by whomever I would find along the way. Perhaps I doubted I was worthy of any good thing ahead. Maybe a combination? I know what it is to feel all of these, and if you're still engaged at this point in the article, I imagine you do, too.

There was no movement in this world, except the snowfall. And then, the most peculiar thing happened as one word materialized before my still, frozen self. It was the word "unknown."

UNKNOWN.

It was like an AR Sticker just floating there in front of me. And I felt all the fear.

But then a peculiar thing happened. The more I looked at myself looking at that word hanging mid-air, I recognized a simple anagrammatic reality: I recognized the word known.

And instantly, my heartbeat returned and the dream ended.

Lessons learned

Here's the lessons I learned from this dream.

First, it isolated and exposed the true nature of fear: it paralyzes us. Fear has a way of removing our heart altogether. And as fear increases, imagination decreases, and dreams are displaced.

We think to ourselves, “I’m just going to die if…” or, “I can’t even imagine what will happen…” or, "I can't risk losing..." The fear of the unknown is too great a boulder to scale. And when fear has done it's work, you're only options are to remain where you stand or retreat into the past of what once was.

Second, this dream taught me that in every unknown, there’s always something known.

The unknown can feel bigger, heavier, or more terrifying than anything we've experienced before: but the truth is, we have history and experience on our side! We can look to what we've known and in seeing how far we've come, we find the courage to hope again.

What does this mean for you?

This is for the entrepreneur waiting to buy that domain, the author with a submission in your inbox, or the student looking at a million options. This is for you with the quirky, eccentric, big ideas or you with the risky, brave, innovative dream.

Consider what you already know: your strengths, your weaknesses, your best friend, your passions, your prayers, your favorite song. You may not know your next move, but you know where you came from. And that's more than half of what makes a great story.

I have found that looking at, naming, and holding the known actually transforms my feelings about the unknown; what can feel like a nightmare...begins to feel like an adventure.

You can embrace the unknown with confidence because of what you already know! So, look hard at the bend ahead, see what’s already there, and feel your heart beat once again — your feet will follow.