It’s a fact…our brain hates uncertainty. In fact, it craves certainty. So discovered David Rock through his investigative interviews with neuroscientists. Just like the fears I discussed last week, this is true for every human being.
This got me thinking about my own life. I like to be in control and to plan the future (just ask my husband – he’d tell you I am a little obsessive about being in control). For example, I am currently asking my friends to come and make me lunch each day for two weeks while I recover from an operation, because I am not supposed to walk. And I’m trying to think of everything I will need so that I can put it by the bedside now, rather than having to ask others to get things for me. I need to know that everything is organised. I want certainty that everything will be ok, even though (or maybe because) I have absolutely no certainty about how much pain I’ll be in, or whether I will, in fact, be able to hobble on crutches.
Looking back, I also know that certainty was what kept me in my last role. It was a known quantity, even though I wasn’t feeling very stretched any more. It was something I could do without really thinking about it, and yet that was a bit boring. It was a job with steady income, and one which allowed me to work from home. I had certainty.
I should have been looking for something else sooner. I should have embraced the uncertainty of the unknown. I should have looked behind other doors, through other windows, to see what else was out there. But I didn’t. I was comfortable. I was certain. I was safe.
Except there was no certainty really, and there was no safety.
In today’s world, no job is 100% certain or safe.
It’s known. But it’s not certain to continue.
So the next time you think about looking for a new, more challenging role, or the next time you think about making some other change in your life, don’t shy away from it, just because it’s uncertain and unknown. Over-ride that automatic brain function that wants certainty, and shake things up.
Work with a coach if needs be, to find your game-plan and help you to remain accountable to yourself. They can help you to move through transition, particularly the no-man’s-land in the midst of it all, when you don’t have all the answers.
