Accept Uncertainty. Discover Its Extraordinary Value and Get Motivated with 16 Inspirational Quotes
Each of us has anxieties, self-doubt, and insecurities.
They prevent us from achieving short and long-term goals, doing our job effectively, being the best parent and spouse, or living life to the fullest. No one is immune to them.
This anxiety becomes most noticeable when uncertainty enters our modern vocabulary. A perfect example is the popularity and worldwide discussion of Imposter Syndrome in blog posts, podcasts, Zoom events, and conference presentations.
I did a Google search on Imposter Syndrome. There are 100,000 – 1,000,000 imposter syndrome searches per month by people like you and me and Google delivers 13,400,000 results to them.
So, obviously, I am not the only one overcome by imposter syndrome from time to time. Neither are you. Yet, we commonly feel that we are the only ones with insecurities and uncertainty and that everyone else knows exactly what they want and how to get it. That’s simply not true.
While the feeling of uncertainty will never go away, our objective should be to accept and embrace it. Easier said than done, right? Yes, but we can take inspiration from others.
Accepting uncertainty starts you on an exciting journey. It encourages you to do things that you would otherwise never consider. You open yourself to new opportunities for growth, advancement, and achievement.
Of course, you may stumble along the way and have a negative experience. But it is essential to acknowledge that negative experience. Please don't beat yourself up about it. These things happen. Uncertainty can actually have a positive impact on your life.
If accepting uncertainty caused you to make a career change you now regret, the positive result is that it helped you narrow your focus on your dream job.
Realize that your negative experience is temporary.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that most people have 12 jobs over their working life, which proves that you probably won't be stuck in this job for decades to come.
The uncertainty you acted upon, and the job you accepted but now realize you don’t like, have revealed more significant insights. It’s time to embrace the positive. Put a strategy in place to get the job that you now know is perfect for you.
Think of it this way:
In January, you realize you are in a job you don't like, even though you've only been in the position for six months.
You use the rest of January and February to update your resume, target companies that employ people for the job you would love to have, network, and interview for that ideal position.
You continue to interview and finally accept an offer at the end of March.
You start your dream job in April.
If you had never accepted uncertainty, embraced change, and taken "the leap," you would never have accepted the job you discovered was wrong for you.
You would have never come to realize the direction you really wanted to take, and you would not be as happy as you now are.
Nine months would have gone by, and you’d still be unsure of your career path and unhappy that you’re not advancing as far as you hoped.
Although attempting to take a step forward through uncertainty didn’t go so well at first (you took a job you ultimately realized wasn't for you), you recognized the positive opportunity and turned it around (you now have a job you love and can develop into a successful career).
When uncertain, you can hesitate to make a change for fear it will be wrong, and you will be stuck with your decision for the rest of your life or at least a very long time. But by looking at these events through the lens of your life’s journey, you realize it happened in a flash. Nine months in an average lifespan of 77 years is merely a blip on the screen of life.
Although there is no way to predict the future, accepting uncertainty enables you to better navigate change in your career as well as within family relationships, friendships, personal growth, and spiritual development.
In accepting uncertainty, we actively embark on a journey of enlightenment, evolution, and fulfillment across all areas of our life.
It’s not always easy. There will be bumps along the road.
But every day you accept uncertainty, you are one step closer to living your best life and becoming your best self.
16 inspirational quotes to help you accept uncertainty.
“Taking risks doesn’t mean shirking responsibility but embracing possibilities.”
— Vick Hope
Vick Hope is a British television and radio host, journalist and author. She is also a human rights activist and is an Amnesty International UK ambassador.
“Fear is often our immediate response to uncertainty. There’s nothing wrong with experiencing fear. The key is not to get stuck in it.”
— Gabrielle Bernstein
Gabrielle Bernstein is an American author, speaker, and podcast host. She has written Happy Days, Judgment Detox, The Universe Has Your Back, Super Attractor, and You Are the Guru.
“So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don’t sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something new. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.”
— Lee Iacocca
Lee Iacocca is an American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang. He was president of Ford Motor Company and president and CEO for Chrysler Corporation.
“Faith means living with uncertainty – feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark.”
— Dan Millman
Dan Millman is a former athlete, university coach, and American author and lecturer. His most recent book is Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit.
“When I am willing to step into the realm of uncertainty and ambiguity, I open myself up to infinite possibilities.”
— Anita Moorjani
Born in Singapore to Indian parents, Anita Moorjani is a speaker and author of Dying to Be Me, Sensitive is the New Strong, Scaredy Caterpillar, What If This is Heaven?, and Love: A Story About Who You Truly Are.
“I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: Love, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity to name a few.”
— Brene Brown
Brene Brown is an American professor, lecturer, author, and podcast host. She is the author of Atlas of the Heart, You are Your Best Thing, The Gifts of Imperfection, and more.
“The fear of failing. . . not quite the fear of failing, but the uncertainty of whether you are going to perform or not, is there every single game I have played in my life. It will always be there.”
— AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers is a former South African international cricket player. He was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his career.
“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.”
— Gilda Radner
Gilda Radner is an American actress and comedian. She was one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live.
“True life is lived when tiny changes occur.”
— Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy is a Russian writer best known for War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
“Every single problem that you have in your life, is the seed of an opportunity for some greater benefit. Stay alert to opportunities by being grounded in the wisdom of uncertainty! When your preparedness meets opportunity the solution will spontaneously appear!”
— Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an Indian-American author, an alternative medicine advocate, and prominent in the New Age movement. His books include Mindful Moments, Abundance, Total Meditation, and more.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
— Marie Curie
Marie Curie is a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist. She was head of the physics laboratory at the Sorbonne in Paris and was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics as well as the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
“We crave explanations for most everything, but innovation and progress happen when we allow ourselves to embrace uncertainty.”
— Simon Sinek
Born in the UK, Simon Sinek is an author and speaker. He is best known for his books Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last and his inspired TED Talk.
“Life is a lively process of becoming.”
— Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur is an American military leader who served the United States from 1903-1964 in numerous positions. He is best known as General of the Army.
“Change is not a threat. It’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal. Transformative success is.”
— Seth Godin
Seth Godin is an American author, entrepreneur, and speaker. His books include Purple Cow, This is Marketing, Linchpin, Tribes, and more.
“Life is like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.”
— Jim Henson
Jim Henson is an American puppeteer, animator, inventor, and filmmaker. He is best known for creating the well-known characters on children’s television program Sesame Street and ultimately developed The Muppet Show.
