Managing Uncertainty

We all go through periods of uncertainty and ambiguity where we just don't know what’s going to happen next. We don’t know how to tackle such situations and we spend a lot of time and energy focusing on what we should do when we don’t know. It requires a lot of intelligence and luck to be able to figure out what needs to be done in uncertain times. For someone who is not so smart, I spend time thinking what I should not do rather than figuring out what to do.

• Growing up, you don’t know what you want to do ... at least don't do drugs and get involved with crime while you figure you what you want to do with your life
• Facing a midlife crisis ... don’t screw up things which are in place
• Don't know how to start your new business .... at least hold on to your current job while you go figure out your entrepreneurship dreams
• Made your loved one unhappy ... before trying to make them happy ... ensure that you don’t make them more unhappy
• Already made a mistake ... avoid making another mistake while you go about managing your most recent mistake
• Unhappy with yourself ... at least don’t make others unhappy with you
• Unhappy with life ... at least don’t make others life unhappy
• If you are unable to score a spectacular goal or have an amazing home run at least don’t make unforced errors
• If a win is impossible ... does not mean that a loss has to be a certainty ... seek a draw
• Can’t play great offense ... don’t let the other side play offense to you ... play defense

The key principle in this approach is hanging in there and avoiding mistakes at all costs while you are clueless and are figuring out solutions or waiting for the uncertainty to get over.

The problem is seldom the biggest problem. Your reaction to the problem is mostly the biggest problem. Ensure that you respond to such situations with composure, losing your composure and going out of control can create a problem bigger than what you currently have.

This does not mean that you don’t shoot for the stars because you worry falling in the dust. Shoot for the star, go for the kill, play great offense when you have resolved to go for a star. When you are not sure of which star to go after, be aware of the stars you want to give a miss.