The majority of my peers, and I would argue people in general, have a lot of unknowns. They don’t know what the next couple years hold, much less the rest of their foreseeable future.

They could have a different job, a different home, a different friend group, things are subject to change.

The presence of the unknown, can be a crippling weight.

Especially when other people are asking for answers, it can feel like silent performance reviews are being conducted based on your answers.

However, uncertainty is not always a bad thing, and you don’t need to have answers to all of those questions.

You can’t predict what’s going to happen. The expectation that you should be certain in the future, when it’s largely a guessing game is destructive.

It’s a destructive illusion that you need to know the answer to those things.

Those who answer with certainty are buying into an illusion of sorts because you can’t really know what’s going to happen.

I’m not advocating to not have a plan for the future, or that the counter to certainty is to be uncertain in all things. But rather where there is unsurety  to not shy away from it, or feel powerless because of the unknown. Rather we need to know we are capable to handle those things. That no matter where you are, who you’re with, you are capable. Know this is the key to having a stability. Being certain in your ability to handle situations. Being certain in your ability to problem solve. Being certain in what you can control, you.

Not knowing all of those things is fine.

Don’t buy into the illusion of certainty, you do not need to be certain in all things. Rather be certain in your capability.