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Are you really unprepared?

If you are always getting stuck, one reason is trying to control the future too much. Busy/distracted leaders often blame their preparation skills, but likely it’s that you fear the unknown.  

Many ancient wisdom traditions have stories in which they leave their land to the unknown. Terrible things happen to them on the journey: being chased by murderers, being lost in the desert for 40 years, etc. Yet it is in leaving the known, they find themselves.

During my college years, my professors, friends, and community affirmed who I was. I studied hard, and developed strategies to cope with distractibility. I needed to be the best candidate I could be for a good career. Except no one interviewed me for a job in my field.

I thought I wasn’t prepared enough. So I left my home and moved to California for graduate school. Studying just left me with more questions. Instead of preparation, people questioned my journey, had new social rules ($500 dates?), and said fish tacos were Mexican food (what?) - and still no job in that field.

Yet, through all the unknown, I began to see myself clearly. I wasn’t unprepared. I was uncertain about the future. I didn’t trust the vision I had bought into.

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Psychology Concept of the Week

Uncertainty avoidance is how cultures differ in the amount of tolerance they have of unpredictability.[1] Many of our reactions to the unknown depend upon where we grew up and how our families responded to uncertainty. If uncertainty meant opportunities, you may love it. If it was dangerous, you may avoid it.

Question for you

How did your cultures treat uncertainty? How do you?

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Invitation

I get the desire to lock things down when you are uncertain. Yet, if you want less stress and more focus, you need to make it your friend. If you’re ready to stop wasting your time and money on life hacks to find the root of your issues and create a life bigger than you can imagine, put in your application to see if you qualify

References

[1]Hofstede, Geert (1984). Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN 0-8039-1444-X.