Reframing life’s undeniable uncertainty
Paul Millerd, author of The Pathless Path and Good Work, shared the following the other day…
“Some people think I have it figured out. I don’t. Quite uncertain about this path the next few years. Not sure if things will work. But I will just keep trying stuff and seeing where it takes me.
The big shift I have made is not seeing uncertainty as a problem to be solved.”
I think Paul really hits the nail on the head here, especially that last line…
‘The big shift I have made is not seeing uncertainty as a problem to be solved.’
Cultivating an experiment-based approach to life can be a real unlock to stop chasing that elusive and unattainable sense of certainty we all seek.
When you start to approach everything in your life as an experiment, the traditional definitions of ‘success’ or ‘failure’ suddenly no longer apply. Rather, every experiment you take on becomes an opportunity to learn from what goes well along with whatever does not. You gain valuable feedback that you can then use and iterate on in your future experiments.
And as you practice conducting more and more experiments, you start to realize your ability to navigate through life’s many challenges and ever present uncertainties gets better and better over time.
So what are you waiting for?
Test, adapt, and adjust. Rinse and repeat.
It’s certainly not easy and it definitely takes a lot of work but it really can be that simple.