The Uncertain Mind Is Fertile With Opportunity

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“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.” – Khalil Gibran

In our modern world and economy where people consistently leave jobs, lose jobs, fear financial insecurity, and struggle with workplace issues that lead to burnout and exhaustion, we often find ourselves face to face with uncertainty and anxiety. ?

The World Uncertainty Index created by economists at Stanford and the International Monetary Fund tracked uncertainty across 140 countries. They discovered that uncertainty has been rising for several decades and has been exacerbated by the pandemic years, and uncertainty in global leadership. ?

The truth is, uncertainty is part of our lives and we must find a way to get comfortable being uncomfortable to deal with it.

We believe we have control over our lives, and believe we can create safety for ourselves and others, but it can all be upended in minutes when circumstances change.

Anxiety is deeply rooted in our past experiences and demands that we take an immersive look at the underlying causes that create stress and anxiety.

Applying band aids to the problem doesn’t work.

To deal effectively with the underlying causes of anxiety and create greater stability, we must examine the role of change and its relationship to uncertainty.

Opportunities inherent in uncertainty carry the seeds of creating a life that is vastly different from the one we may be currently living.

Every act of change comes after a period of uncertainty.

Resistance to change is built into our DNA. We may know that making changes in our thinking and behavior will yield different and better results, but we still hesitate because we don't know what the change will bring.

When uncertainty is amplified and becomes fear, it is detrimental to your health. We believe the stories we tell ourselves.

We fabricate stories that are supposed to rationalize those uncertain thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

The truth can be hard to find when we are caught in the cycles of avoidance, blame, seeking validation, distraction, and living life by the rules that other people have set for us. ?

In my early life I felt uncertain about my talents. I was incapable of handling difficult situations, breaking off relationships because they were too challenging, and self-sabotaging opportunities with lack of action.

I believed I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t lovable. I wasn’t worthy of success.

In my desire to manage my uncertainty and fear, I created the illusion that everything was perfect if I was in control.

Limiting my expectations meant not believing in my ability to succeed; avoiding the task of confronting my insecurities, and ignoring my chaotic thinking, had me believe I was safe from harm.

When a psychotherapist asked me to tell him what I was feeling I saw a steel door slide down in front of me. This was forbidden territory. ?

As I began to shift my attention from insecurity, fears, anxieties, doubts, and shame, I began to understand that this false persona was not me.

I was a product of early environmental influences that had shaped my world view and my sense of self.

I understood that when you get tied up in the past, you get bogged down in the present, and refuse the future.

We are conditioned by other people’s opinions and expectations buried deep in our unconscious by well-meaning parents, teachers, and other authority figures.

These messages become the memes by which we measure ourselves, and they are frequently the wrong measuring stick.

I had been conditioned to be unhappy and created circumstances that kept me in a cyle of uncertainty.

To break through the noise that causes anxiety and stress it is essential to be intentional about developing the skills and insights necessary to achieve freedom from overthinking and worries that limit life.

We need to develop the courage to confront the fear-based thinking and challenge the truth of our stories.

"The goal is not to magically make things perfect.?The goal is to learn to surf the waves of distress successfully.?Give yourself credit even if things don’t feel all the way better." - Rebecca Harley, psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Uncertainty is a Gift.

It allows you the freedom to create your own journey where you learn the truth about who you are.

It gives you avenues of possibilities that you may never have considered in your safe zone.

When uncertainty is present you have the opportunity to pause, focus more deeply on the situation, and consider alternatives; to redefine the relationship to uncertainty.

When we are courageous enough to go beyond the fear and uncertainty it allows us the capacity to be remarkable.

On Handling Uncertainty

Remember, some anxiety is rational and helpful. But sometimes you may get stuck in a negative thought loop that prevents you from moving forward; you start obsessing.

To expand your thinking differentiate what’s possible from what’s probable. Are you making assumptions? Examine them and find out the truth.

What are you avoiding? What are you resisting? Approach uncertainty with a curious mind?

Try to distinguish your worst fears from what is likely to happen.This will help calm you and give you space to move forward.

When a catastrophic thought comes into your head, such as “I'm going to lose my job, my relationship, my financial security...” or “I’m definitely going to get sick,” remember that you’re an unreliable narrator when you’re anxious

Uncertainty is the glue that ties everything together.

Without uncertainty there is no growth.

You have the power to choose your response and define the path you want to walk on.

Uncertainty gives your freedom because there are no restrictions on what is possible.

How do you handle uncertainty? Please share your experience.

Jacqueline Wales is the bestselling author of The Fearless Factor, The Fearless Factor at Work, and When The Crow Sings, a novel. She is also the creator of Transformational Strategies for Success online immersive self-development programs , and TEDx speaker Unleash the Power of Fear: The Secret to Success and Happiness.

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