Navigating Uncertainty in Life
5 ways to keep making progress in spite of uncertainty
Have you been feeling disappointed by life lately?
I know I have. I mean, Covid is largely over, and we’re supposed to all be back on track by now. We’re supposed to have resumed regular programming again. Except, that’s not quite how it’s panning out.
Cue: the feeling of banging one’s head against the proverbial wall. Again.
It’s not all bad; it’s just not as it was. Nor as I expected it to be. In truth, I keep expecting the path to clear and the way ahead to become more obvious the further we get from Covid. I mean, I’ve been doing my do for rather a while now, so I was expecting it should be more of the same as I knew previously.
Instead, it’s very firmly mired in mist.
But worse than that, sometimes, what happens or where the road leads is almost the direct opposite of what I’m expecting. Or the road just peters out into a dead end or a sheer cliff. The constant set of surprises along the way are, well, let’s just say they’re exhausting. I don’t remember navigating life’s road being this tiring before.
Things Just Aren’t Like They Used To Be
Many times, when I’ve stopped, figuratively, to catch my breath along the way, I’ve asked myself, “What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t you just keep going like you used to?” The answer to that question, a bit like my drive to continue unfazed by it all, is MIA, too.
Sure, I’m older than I was. Aren’t we all? But I don’t think that’s it — otherwise, a quick energy hit or a bit of sleep should fix it. Rather, this is navigating life with a whole new level of fatigue along for the ride.
I talked with my coach, Kendra, about this the other day. And although I had plenty to celebrate in my life moving forward, I mentioned that I still felt a bit lost. Wise as always, she nailed it and gave me some great perspective.
She’d recently been to a leadership conference, and regardless of which lens the speakers applied, economic, leadership, or workplace, they all shared a similar message.
Lots has changed in the last few years, and no one is sure what is coming next. We’ve all lost our ability to predict and that feels very unsettling. Frankly, I think we’ll have to re-learn how to function with this much uncertainty — and adapt to not having as clear a map. So, it’s not lost. It’s just that the maps have all changed, and no one knows what the terrain looks like.
Ah, so it’s not just me. Thank goodness. And probably, if you’re still reading, it’s not just you either.
THE. MAPS. HAVE. CHANGED.
And our apps, which we’ve all come to rely so heavily on, are still updating. Dang!
And no one knows what the landscape truly looks like. Our ability to ‘predict’ is lagging.
Everything feels new and strange, and we find ourselves in places we don’t necessarily recognise because we seem to have taken a detour on the way to somewhere we thought we ‘knew’ how to get to.
That uncertainty is tiring.
Actually, it’s more than just tiring. It’s scary. That’s where the exhaustion comes from. We’re collectively feeling like we all need to be on high alert for things that go bump in the night or dragons over the horizon. Either that, or we just power down when our bodies can’t deal with that anymore. Scrolling anyone?
3 Words for Continuing On in the Face of Such Uncertainty
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last five years since my accident, it's that when uncertainty looms large, and we can’t do something, we have to apply three little words to make it feel like it will be alright.
Those words?
…at the moment.
As in:
- No one knows what the landscape truly looks like…at the moment. But eventually, people, maybe even you, will.
- I don’t know how to get there…at the moment. But eventually, I will.
- The way forward feels unclear…at the moment. But eventually, it will be okay.
If we continue forging our way forward, even if it’s micro steps or nano steps, at some point, things will become clearer. The road will be more navigable; the maps will reset.
However, if we’re honest, unlike a roadmap where the route is completely mapped out for you, and you just have to follow it to get to your destination, everyone’s life path is different. That means that even if I gave you a perfect set of explicit instructions from A to B, they likely wouldn’t take you where you need to go.
And therein lies the rub. So often, we’re sold 7 steps to achieve X. But your 7 steps might only be 5 different, but much bigger ones. And mine might be 4,672 steps. No two journeys are ever the same.
So, knowing that how do we keep going surrounded by a sea of uncertainty?
5 Ways To Keep Making Progress in Spite of Uncertainty
- Goals are key. Whilst the way forward might be tougher and/or take longer, that’s not a reason to give up on your dreams. Continue to set big goals and inch towards them at every opportunity. I have many goals currently in play — many/most of them feel exceptionally hard. So I’ve posted them on the back of my office door, with the idea that every time I get coffee, go to the bathroom, or leave the office for the day, I’m reminded of what I’m working towards —complete with overarching feelings/values, end goals and markers toward goal success along the way.
- Develop goal-focused habits. According to Kendra, focusing on granular habits around your goals each week is what’s most important. Find a way of integrating 5, 15, or 30-minute blocks of goal-focused activity into your calendar each week. Start small. One of my goals is to rebuild my body after not walking properly for 3.5 years and leg press 100kg again (let’s just say I’m nowhere near that…at the moment). But my super small start to that is I have to drive to the gym on the designated afternoons. If I get there and it’s all too hard, I am allowed to leave. Anyone can drive to the gym. I have yet to get there and not go inside.
- Block out time for those habits in your calendar or set an alarm on your phone to act as a reminder, exactly the same as you would a client meeting or meeting with your boss. For me, that’s going to the gym 3x a week. I have reminders in my phone and time blocked in the diary — Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons. That is sacred time. But if there’s truly an emergency, there’s contingency wiggle room built into the other days.
- Review at the end of each week. And this is key — ask yourself what went well, what didn’t, and how you might change it up for the better next week. This is where having a great coach helps and keeps you accountable for resetting for the following week. Plus, they can often see the things you can’t — because you’re too close to everything.
- Celebrate all your wins. Any forward movement on a goal, no matter how small, is a reason to pat yourself on the back. Even if you’ve just found 100 ways not to do something. In attempting to do things, you edge yourself forward anyway, even if you can’t see it…at the moment.
One final thing to remember:
Just like the great explorers of history, the entire way doesn’t have to be crystal clear from the start; just the next little bit. After that, you can rest, reformulate based on what you now know, and set off again.
I wish you well.
Kristin Austin — Writer always! Mother forever. Wife until death parts us — although some days that might be sooner rather than later :) Lover of good food, friends & cocktails. Recovering from a life-changing injury. Hire me to speak at your next event.