Uncertainty or Possibility?

Are you in a space of uncertainty—on the cusp of a big change in your life and business and just don't know what's next?

That can feel scary, like you don't want to make any moves because you don't know which moves are the right ones. It can feel like you're just grasping at straws, desperate for somebody to just tell you what to do. Tell you what the right next step is. 

I've been there. I was in that space for three years. It was three whole years of feeling like something just wasn’t right. Like there was something more for me, something different. I didn’t know what it was, I couldn’t put my finger on it. I felt stuck. I know, I know, the word “stuck” is a super cliche. But sometimes there's no other word to describe that feeling. Humdrum, run-of-the mill, going through the motions, day-to-day life. You don't know what’s next so you don’t know how to get there. So you just keep doing what you’ve always done.

And I've been helping people through this my entire career.

As a brand designer for 20 years my clients came to me when they’ve reached their capacity when it came to developing their brands. They knew they needed a logo and visual presence for their business or product, they knew a little bit of the direction, but they knew they needed help to take it over the finish line. I was kind-of like their visual interpreter. I would gather all their thoughts and information they had, and then pull from different industries, gather different ideas ideas, make different connections. I would use my creativity to take their little nugget of an idea, amplify it, and design it so that it would be attractive to their ideal audience. 

Now as a coach it's a little bit different, but a lot the same. Because of my nature of loving to go deep and to truly understand the root meaning behind everything, I now sit with my coaching clients and do the same thing when they’ve reached their capacity to figure things out on their own… when they’re feeling stuck and uncertain. 

“I don't like to feel uncertain. I don't like this feeling.” When they're stuck in that mindset it is my job to say, “Okay, I acknowledged that's where you are. What else might be possible?” I get to use my creativity to help them break down those barriers and see all of the facets of what is possible. And then, when we're talking about an ideal audience, instead of taking their visions, goals and missions and amplifying communicating them to an outside audience, my job as a coach is to take all of that internal goodness and help them see the many facets. THEY are their OWN audience. It is up to them to understand themselves. That is what is possible in the beautiful, sacred space of coaching. 

What is another word for uncertain for uncertainty? 

Not knowing. Questioning. Unsure. Valid answers. But I want to reveal the other side of the coin—because there IS another side of uncertainty. Possibility. The space of uncertainty is also the place of possibility. No, you don't know where you're going. But you don't know what else is possible, either. 

I love the analogy of being in a dark warehouse with a flashlight.

Imagine you're in a dark warehouse. It's enormous, but you don't know how big it is. All you know is the little bit of ground you're standing on, what you can feel around you within arm’s reach, and you can see whatever you point your flashlight at. Everything else is pitch dark. You don't know where to point it and you don't know what you're going to see—is it going to be something scary, or is it going to be something amazing? You just want someone to turn on the lights! 

If you’re standing in that pitch dark warehouse feeling scared and worried, frantically shining your flashlight all around you, it is possible that you’ll land on something magnificent BUT YOU’LL STILL BE FRIGHTENED. You’ll startle yourself. Because you're ready to be scared, you're anticipating the fear. 

But what if you were in that same pitch dark warehouse with the same flashlight, and as you shine the light you're on an adventurous hunt for miracles and blessings, looking for the most incredible opportunities that could possibly be in there. Coming from that space it not only feels so much better, but the results are going to be so much better. You're going see something scary, or something that just doesn’t interest you, and you’re not going to care! It won’t even be a thing. Because it's just not what you want so you're going to keep moving, keep looking for what you do want. 

So if you're feeling stuck, uncertain, and in-the-dark—worried about bad things that might happen, wrong steps you might take, or bad decisions that might lead you in a wrong direction in your business/career—fear not my friends, fear not! 

Because there are just as many incredible opportunities and possibilities as there are things to be afraid of. You can choose to approach your life in that frame of reference. There are always two sides to every coin: Which one feels better? You get to pick which one creates more joy, you get to choose! 

There is not a person out there—there is not a tactic, strategy, consultant, or employee—that is going to point you in the direction of your deep desires. It has to come from you. It has to. 

So if you are in that space of uncertainty, ask yourself, “What do I know?” What floor can you ground yourself on, what can you touch within arms reach? What are the tiny bits you CAN see with your flashlight? Ground yourself there. Start there, and then expand a little bit, a little bit more, and a little bit more until you realize the the abundance of miracles and possibilities that are right there waiting for you. 

I want you to know that the reason I believe this is because I lived it. 

As I mentioned, I was in the place for THREE YEARS. It got to the point where I simply couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like I had tried everything—I read the books, hired the consultants, did the work, tried the strategies. I implemented the morning routines, I read the Bible, I meditated.

And then I called a coach. I didn’t care what it cost, I couldn’t stand that feeling for one more day. And that's when all the shifting happened. Here’s what happened for me. One day I was journaling about how I just wanted clarity. I wanted to know exactly what was next. In fact I wanted to know every next step. I wanted answers! And then it hit me: If I knew all the answers, I I would find something else to be uncertain about. Because deep down, I actually love a good challenge, I love the questioning, I love the curiosity, I love the idea that there are more possibilities. If I had all the answers, I would be on to the next thing!

I knew that that uncertainty was happening FOR me because it was ON ME to figure it out (and ONLY me). I knew that it was only through the process figuring-it-out that I’d be able to get through the uncertainty. There was not a person who could have said, “X, Y, and Z. Black and white. Now go.” 

I wouldn't have heard it. 

I wouldn't have listened. 

It would have gone in one ear and out the other. 

I would have discredited it. 

I would have devalued it. 

I would have dismissed it. 

Embrace the unknowing, look at the other side of the coin, find the possibilities. Ground yourself.

You WILL find your way through, I promise. And if you want a little help, that's exactly what I'm here for. That's exactly why I write these blogs and go LIVE every week. I want to give you a little boost of confidence, to give you inspiration. I want to inspire you believe in yourself—to find that inspiration inside of you so that you can build your own momentum, follow your own wise guidance, and bring your own dreams to life.