A little certainty goes a long way

In my previous post, I delved into a conversation about us—all of us—who ponder our untapped potential and dream of realizing our utmost capabilities. Quite exciting, right? Well, today, I find myself at an interesting stop on this journey. I left my well-paying job for uncertainty.

I am uncertain about my next job. Uncertain if this was the right jump. Will this hurt my career? Or is it a launchpad to my dream job?

Think back to the last time you had to make a tough decision. Was it stressful? It might have even felt physically demanding. It turns out none of us are very comfortable with uncertainty. In fact, this discomfort is so well-documented that Charlie Munger refers to the process of resolving conflicting information as the "doubt avoidance tendency." It is our inclination to resolve conflicting information as quickly as possible to return to physical and mental comfort.

Morgan Housel shares this idea in his book "Same as Ever." Housel states, "People don't want accuracy. They want certainty." There's a lot of truth in this statement. The world is incredibly uncertain, yet we choose to think of it as a very certain place. In fact, some of history's most defining moments surely happened because of dumb luck that none of us could have predicted with any certainty.

Thus, I find myself questioning why I chose such a path where there is so much uncertainty. To quote Housel again:

"Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said that he's often asked what's going to change in the next ten years. 'I almost never get the question: What's not going to change in the next ten years? And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two.' Things that never change are important because you can put so much confidence in knowing how they'll shape the future."

So yes, I am taking a leap. I don't know who will write my next paycheck, but what I do know is that I am committed to the little bit of certainty that I do have.

My focus for the next six weeks is all about self-discovery. I want to spend more time on activities that bring me joy, pique my curiosity, and make me feel good. I am convinced that the insights gained about myself along this path will illuminate the way forward. By nurturing my inner being, I trust that my external circumstances will align with where I'm meant to be.

I guess the takeaway is that there will always be uncertainty because life is uncertain. Don't let the fear of uncertainty make you stagnate. Instead, focus on things that you do know for certain and let those certainties guide your next step.

Cheers to the next chapter of nurturing my growth.