Jagged rocks near Oceanside, OR
Uncertainty is that uneasy feeling we get when trying something new. That feeling may be uncomfortable but I would argue that we're better off embracing it than avoiding it. Running away from uncertain feelings actually causes a lot of problems in life: procrastination, perfectionism, and creative blocks to name a few. It keeps us doing the same things we've done our entire lives. It keeps us from doing what we were meant to do.
Being certain is a way of being safe. If we keep our world small, we don't have to feel that uncomfortable feeling of not knowing. But by being certain, we pay a high price. We miss out on the wonderful things in life that we're too afraid to seek out. We can't really create anything new if we're constantly thinking about how things might go wrong. In fact, we might just quit or not even try at all.
Certainty is a closing of the mind. To create something new you must have doubt.
—Milton Glaser
Embracing uncertainty can actually help us relax. Instead of worrying about things we don't have control over, we can decide to feel the fear and deal with what happens next. It's true that embracing fear in primitive times may have gotten us killed, but the worst that might happen today is some mild embarrassment.
If you give up hope that insecurity and pain can be eliminated, then we can have the courage to relax with the groundlessness of our situation.
—Pema Chodron
When we feel uncertain, it means that we're doing something different or something we've never tried before. The process of moving from the old comfortable way to the new exciting one is where the real growth is.
People often wish they had more meaning in their lives but to find meaning we need to be vulnerable and open to new experiences. We need uncertainty in order to be curious and creative. So many things we desire come out of uncertainty: creating art, new relationships, and making important life changes. Without uncertainty, life would be dull indeed.
The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning... Uncertainty is where things happen. It is where the opportunities for success, for happiness, for really living are waiting.