Uncertainty, then, is not an enemy to be conquered. It is the very rhythm of reality. To embrace it is not to lose control, but to align ourselves with the way life unfolds.
Yesterday, my mind wandered between two choices.
Should I push to meet a client now to discuss a big ticket engagement, even though he was engulfed in board meetings over an unexpected acquisition?
Or should I wait, and risk losing the engagement altogether?
This small professional indecisiveness drew me to a larger reflection that uncertainty is glued to our existence so powerfully.
Even before birth, what we become is shaped not only by our DNA but by the hormones in our mother’s body. More serotonin if she is joyful, more cortisol if she is stressed, and each leaves its imprint on the baby. A single genetic twist can tilt a life toward ease or struggle forever.
At birth, we are again at the mercy of chance. Whether oxytocin is released at the right moment, whether we arrive through natural delivery or C-section, each outcome may rewire brain in lasting ways. No wonder Dutch neurobiologist Dick Swaab remarked ‘We are our brains’.
From that first cry to our final breath, uncertainty walks beside us. Some meet less of it, others have plenty of it, but nobody is exempt.
The question is not whether uncertainty exists, but whether we resist or embrace it.
It is futile to cling to absolute security. Nature shakes the ground beneath us the moment we stand still. Moreover, comfort breeds stagnation.
It is the stress of uncertainty that change our actions for better. For example,
– The risk of a breakup deepens our appreciation of love.
– The risk of loss steers investors toward diversification.
– The risk of attrition makes organizations value their people.
– The risk of job loss inspires individuals to outperform.
– The risk of losing seed capital clarifies the entrepreneur’s pitch.
Physics whispers the same truth. Heisenberg’s ‘Uncertainty Principle’ reminds us that clarity in one area comes only at the cost of unpredictability in another. What is true in the quantum world is equally true in markets, relationships, and leadership.
Push too safely to grow a client base, and quality will slip.
Play too safe with inventory, and obsolescence will catch up.
Try to control manufacturers too tightly, and markets will still move in unpredictable waves.
Uncertainty, then, is not an enemy to be conquered. It is the very rhythm of reality. To embrace it is not to lose control, but to align ourselves with the way life unfolds.
And in that rhythm lies wisdom. This note itself exists not because I planned it with certainty, but because uncertainty moved me to write it.