Fear of Uncertainty: Be Imperious, End Agony Now
Become wise… even just a bit at a time.
“You don’t fear change, you fear the Unknown” — Joe Vitale
I’m 40 years old working in a Multi-National Company, №1 in their line of business. Unfortunately, I’m not satisfied with my work.
At the risk of sounding clichéd,
I sense no purpose or belonging & am doing something that I don’t want to do for a long time.
You read it right. Although, this is not the first time. Now, I can hear a lot of “yeah, right. Join the club”.
While not part of the Millennial or Generation Y, maybe because I was born not too far from this generation, I still wonder if I have most of their attributes, i.e. anxious, tech-savvy, accomplishment-oriented to name a few. But you get the idea.
So, is changing jobs now a good time? The country’s publications seem to differ.
In the first quarter, Country’s economy has slowed down to its lowest level in more than six years
Each large IT firm may lay off up to 20,000 people over the next few quarters
Consumer spending declines for the first time in four decades
Almost all major publications in the country carry similar headlines, an indication, it doesn’t seem a good time to look for jobs.
While in the midst of all these external noises and chaotic headlines, my steady efforts to find a new job have brought me some positive results. I have an offer from a relatively smaller company, and the role seems to be something I might like to do for the longer term. Yay!!
In comes the fear of the unknown with lots of what-ifs..?
All these what-ifs take me back to the one phrase, which my father used to say, and I had learned as a kid.
“அஞ்சுவது அஞ்சாமை பேதைமை” (written in Tamil)
From (திருக்குறள்) Thirukkural — known published date 1812 which when translated means,
It’s foolishness not to fear something that needs to be feared.
How do I deal with this fear? While there are many ways, the first and obvious is to talk to your loved ones, family, colleagues, right? I did that too!
Well, as you’d expect, everyone was very supportive. They tell me exactly what I shouldn’t be doing since that makes more sense.
“Leaving the well-known for an unknown is foolishness”
The Journey Begins
Let me confess — “ I AM AFRAID”
With the fear of uncertainty, I’ve decided to move on from my current work.
Dealing with Uncertainty
Let’s see what happens & how the human brain starts reacting when faced with uncertainty.
As the scenarios of uncertainty increase, the human brain shifts its control over to the emotional part of the brain, the place where emotions, such as anxiety and fear, are generated. How can we balance it?
Engage the rational part of the brain to keep yourself balanced.
How am I using my rational part of the brain? I ask myself, are there not millions of people who are not working in the so-called №1 company? Are they not feeding their families? Don’t they have uncertainty? The answer to these questions gives me the courage to stick with my decision. In short, looking at existing possibilities helps to understand.
Don’t dwell on problems
There are numerous what-ifs, but those what-ifs are helping me prepare myself by re-skilling, diversifying, focusing on more savings (All is not bad)
Trust instincts, intuition, or gut feeling whatever you are calling them.
Humans seem to know what they want subconsciously more than your conscious knows. It’s always good to listen to instincts because they can guide us to the right place even when we don’t realize it.
When all fails, breathe
Yes. Mindfulness is most important during times like these. It’s very important to calm the rough waves inside the brain when we feel overwhelmed. It helps us to gain perspective.
Getting it all together
One of the most important skills is to manage ambiguity in this increasingly ever-changing business environment. The strategies above will help to handle uncertainty and guide us to take a huge step in the right direction.
“Trust the Wait. Embrace the Uncertainty. Enjoy the Becoming” — Unknown
