POSITIVE UNCERTAINTY – A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS OR AN APPROPRIATE APPROACH?

Monday, October 3, 2022
Dominik Fojtík a Klára Palkosková
Uncertainty is our daily bread. It is inevitable. "Will the train be late again? What if my internet goes down? Have I forgotten something? Will I make the presentation?" Questions that raise fears that something won't go the way we want it to. They come to everyone's mind at some point.

What about the question marks hovering over more fundamental issues: "What will the job market look like in 10 years? Will robots take my job? Will I be able to get a job?" Whew, you may also be feeling the downpour of uncertainty hitting you. How do you fight back? What serves as a good umbrella? That's what we write about in the following text.

I think we can all agree that the future is uncertain and cannot be predicted 100%. Who among us a decade ago expected a covid pandemic or professions like wilderness renovator, drone pilot and cryptocurrency advisor? But the very idea of inevitable uncertainty will not bring us comfort. But it does serve as a good starting point when we decide we want to manage uncertainty and change better.

If we accept that uncertainty is as present as the air around us, and that we all move in it, we will be relieved. We stop clinging to certainty that we often cannot have. We will not banish uncertainty by certainty, but by our attitude towards it. For it also offers certain advantages. If we do not reject it and can see it as a positive thing, it will be easier for us to work with it. At the same time, it will increase our resilience, because we will not be so disturbed by the dose of uncertainty. Positive uncertainty doesn't have to be an oxymoron. What can it offer us?

 

1. It keeps an open mind.

When we feel confident, it's easy to rest on our laurels. Uncertainty comforts us; it keeps us off guard. But even in the face of certainty there can be a big blow of fate that we may not notice because of the aforementioned slumbering on our laurels. The downward fall can be all the more painful.

 

2. It awakens creativity.

Positive uncertainty forces us to think, to look for paths that we would not have discovered otherwise, to connect the seemingly unconnected. Many inventions, innovations, and creative solutions have come about during uncertain times when people wanted to make it easier. Want to boost your creativity? Sign up for our ART THERAPY AS A TOOL FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION Erasmus+ course and be confident that you can do arts!

 

3. It makes us stronger and offers new experiences.

The uncertainty of life makes us stronger and braver people. It provides opportunities for training our strengths and relying on our inner resources. It strengthens our flexibility. It offers us experiences we would not have had with certainty.

 

 4. Leads to questions.

And questions shape our thinking, open us to new possibilities, and lead us to knowledge. "Why is it like this? What can I do about it? What has helped me in the past?" Many answers are within us, and many answers can be found by asking.

Opening up to uncertainty is not easy. But in the end, would you really want to be in full control of everything in your life? Imagine such a world. A world where you knew what would happen in the next moment of your life. A world where everything would be according to your plans. Doesn't that sound boring? Don't you think the beauty of life is its uncertainty?

A lot of things are just not in our control. Sometimes all we can do is try. Take action. Whether we succeed or fail, the act of trying is a very brave thing. It doesn't offer a guarantee, but it does offer hope that things will move in the direction we want.