When your circumstances change rapidly and an overwhelming number of things are coming at you, it can be tough to navigate.
Anyone doing anything significant will have a lot going on—emails and messages, lots of tasks, meetings, calls, and major changes every day. Uncertainty abounds.
How do we navigate these tumultuous waters?
The visual metaphor that works for me is surfing. I’m going to talk about how to surf uncertainty.
Surf Uncertainty
What we really want is a simple, easy, straightforward path: no uncertainty, no tough decisions, nothing overwhelming.
But life is full of uncertainty—and abundance. That’s what makes it so beautiful!
So I like to imagine life as an ocean, full of unpredictable waves. If I were a surfer (I’m not), I wouldn’t curse the overwhelming number of waves, I would be thrilled. Waves are what I’m here for.
And I wouldn’t moan about how unpredictable the waves are—that’s what makes it fun!
To play out the metaphor, facing the uncertainty of waves, I would:
- Relish a new wave coming my way.
- Jump on the surfboard as the wave approaches, reading the wave as best I can.
- Have a direction I would like to go but navigate the wave as it breaks, learning to ride the wave I’m given.
- Try again if I’m knocked off.
This applies to my life, of course. Each day is a new wave, and the opportunity is to get excited by it, jump on, and ride it in the direction it flows as best we can.
My attitude is one of ease and acceptance of uncertainty and change, with determination toward a direction that I’ve chosen. I trust in myself to be able to navigate change.
What would that be like for you if you approached every day with this relaxed but determined attitude toward uncertainty?
How to Learn to Surf Uncertainty
This kind of uncertainty surfing takes practice. It’s not as simple as saying, “OK, just surf and be relaxed and flow!” That might have some immediate effect, but long-term results will require practice.
The most important place to practice is at our edge—where things aren’t so easy but also not so challenging that it feels impossible. Where is your edge right now? Maybe it’s chaotic mornings, maybe it’s taking on a challenging project, maybe it’s around difficult conversations.
Then when you find this edge, notice that you’re feeling uncomfortable. How are you relating to that uncertainty and the resistance and fear that come up in uncertainty? Do you wish you didn’t feel it? Do you want to flee from it to distraction or react to it in an unhelpful way? How does it feel? Bringing curiosity like this gives you awareness and the opportunity to work with it.
Now when you notice the uncertainty, see if you can take a “surf with ease and flow” approach. How can you flow in the direction you would like? Try to be a bit determined to have fun with it.
Play with this approach. See what you can create. Bring some lightness to it.
Then as you practice, notice that chaos and unexpected changes aren’t necessarily anything to stress about but simply something to flow with.
How can you still go in the direction you want as you flow?
