If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?
Who doesn’t love a promise? A guarantee? Knowing that if you start, you’re going to be able to finish, and there is a reward at the end of the journey? Yes, we all have moments in life when we want a promise, a guarantee, before we begin.
Before we attempt to do something, we want to know that it will work, that we’re ready, and that we won’t fail. We want to know we are making the “right” choice and all the stars have aligned in our favor. But if we don’t know, aren’t sure, have lingering doubts, and feel uncertain, what do we do?
We hesitate. We wait. We delay. We overthink. We wait for the perfect conditions, the missing piece, the final confirmation, the sign from on high, or the voice from the burning bush that says, “Go forth and conquer.”
But here’s the problem.
Life doesn’t reward the person who waits for certainty. Life rewards the person who learns to move forward through uncertainty, the one who moves before feeling they are ready. And this brings us to one of the most fascinating ideas in modern science, and an unexpectedly powerful lesson in personal growth.
The Uncertainty Principle.
Let’s start with a discovery that changed the world.
In 1927, German physicist Werner Heisenberg formulated what would become a cornerstone of quantum mechanics, the Uncertainty Principle. In simple terms, Heisenberg’s discovery tells us something that almost sounds impossible.
It is impossible to know both the position and the momentum
(velocity) of an atomic particle with perfect accuracy at the same time.
In plain English, we can’t know exactly where something is and exactly how fast it is moving at the same time. A common example is the electron. We can measure where an electron is or how fast it’s moving, but we can’t measure both with absolute precision at the same moment.
This revealed a scientific truth. There is a fundamental limit to what can be known at a given moment in time. And this doesn’t apply just to science.
I wanted to open with Heisenberg’s discovery, because it immediately confronts a lie that far too many people live by. Maybe you’ve heard yourself say something like this.
“Let me figure it out first, then I’ll get started.”
What I love about Heisenberg’s work is that it brings this scientific truth to our often-unscientific lives. There is a fundamental limit to what can be known at a given moment in time. Truth be told, complete certainty is not always available.
Now, it’s not because we are doing something wrong. It’s because uncertainty is built into the world around us. It’s programmed into the system that governs life as we know it.
Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant minds in history. He famously wrestled with the implications of quantum theory. He wanted the universe to behave in a predictable, orderly fashion. Einstein reportedly resisted the idea that probability and uncertainty were foundational parts of nature until he discovered otherwise.
Einstein didn’t like uncertainty, but he realized that life requires it. He had to move past his philosophical discomfort with uncertainty to accept what proved to be true. There is a fundamental limit to what can be known at a given moment in time. Truth be told, complete certainty is not always available.
Even the greatest scientific and mathematical minds wanted certainty. Even the greatest thinkers preferred predictability. But life doesn’t always give us what we want or prefer. And if we want to learn, grow, and become a better version of ourselves, we have to make peace with the fact that certainty is not always available.
Now, let’s bring this down from atomic particles and into everyday life. Because the truth is, uncertainty isn’t just a physics concept. There is a human version of the Uncertainty Principle. It’s a life principle we must understand and embrace.
Certainty is not always available.
We’ve probably all asked ourselves questions at different times in our lives. We are contemplating something new, different, or we’re stepping outside our comfort zone to attempt something we’ve never done before. Think about the first time you were introduced to a bicycle, roller skates, a skateboard, climbed up on the high dive, or launched our first business. Questions like these likely swirled through our minds.
Can I really do this? Am I missing anything before I start? Will this idea work? Can I learn this skill? Will this business succeed? Am I ready for this role?
I can say I’ve been there, done that, and got the T-Shirt. How about you?
One of the things I’ve learned over decades of teaching leadership and personal growth is that most people don’t struggle because they lack talent. They struggle because they want a level of certainty that life simply does not provide. They want to see the entire pathway before they take their very first step.
Personal growth demands something different. We take the first awkward, uncomfortable step, and then the pathway slowly starts to appear. If we saw the entire journey, and what it might demand of us, we may never take the initial step out of fear or intimidation.
As the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tsu, famously said it, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” To start, we must begin, even if the beginning is uncertain.
But there’s a problem.
Our brains crave certainty. Our primal brain, the seat of fight or flight, sees all uncertainty as something to dread, fear, and avoid at all costs, even if the end result is good for us. Why? Uncertainty creates discomfort, and discomfort triggers the brain’s warning system. The mind begins to interpret uncertainty as danger.
So rather than taking that first uncomfortable step into the unknown, we do what most people do. We stall. We research endlessly. We plan excessively. We plan to get ready to get started, and we have been doing that for years.
We tell ourselves we are being responsible, smart, strategic, or logical. But what we are really doing is making excuses, attempting to justify our inaction and fear of uncertainty.
We’re using preparation to avoid vulnerability.
Uncertainty means risk, and taking a risk means we might fail. We might look foolish or feel like we’re wasting time. We are concerned we might disappoint ourselves and others. And for many people, the fear of being wrong is stronger than the desire to grow.
So, they wait…and waiting becomes a lifestyle.
But what if we viewed uncertainty as a necessity to move forward rather than an impediment that’s preventing us from even getting started?
Think about it this way. Uncertainty is not proof you’re on the wrong path.
All too often, uncertainty is proof you’re on a more meaningful path, because anything that expands your life will automatically include what you do not yet know.
This is the journey of personal growth.
It’s moving into that uncomfortable place, outside the status quo, where learning can happen and growth can begin. It’s staying in that uncomfortable place, outside the status quo, where learning can continue and growth can multiply.
We don’t get certainty before we become more capable. We gain certainty because we become more capable. The pathway becomes clearer, more visible, the further we traverse down the path on our journey of a thousand miles.
This is why confident people aren’t people with fewer doubts. They are people who have learned how to move forward even when lingering doubts, fear, or worry may still exist.
In her book, “Find Your Way,” Carly Fiorini said it well, “The status quo has great power, but leaders challenge the status quo to change things for the better.” Personal growth is about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is how the journey of personal growth, daily learning and applying, continues.
The lesson here is obvious.
In martial arts, no one becomes a black belt by waiting until they “feel like a black belt.” They become a black belt by showing up as a beginner and taking that first uncomfortable step by getting on the mat. Then, the journey begins. Stances, movements, and transitions. Punch, kicks, blocks, parries, reversals, and combinations. Joint locks, joint manipulations, throws, and sweeps. Shifting, moving, falling, recovering, and adapting.
To earn a black belt, you’ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
You drill imperfectly. You miss details. You get corrected. You struggle. You spar and get hit. You test and get nervous. You fail in front of other people. But, you keep going. You keep learning and applying, and little by little, you start to master the Art.
This is the path to Mastery.
It is taking action without mastery, until mastery finally arrives.
In the book “Mastery”, author Robert Greene points out it takes 10,000 hours to become a subject matter expert, but it takes another 10,000 hours of practical application to truly become a MASTER in any chosen field, endeavor, or topic.
This is the exact process life demands if we want to become more. It’s about taking imperfection to bridge the gap between fear and confidence.
This is where the Uncertainty Principle becomes practical.
Here’s your takeaway, and if you get nothing else from this lesson, remember this.
Certainty follows action. It doesn’t precede it.
The world (and others) may tell you, “Be sure, then begin.” Black Belt Leaders live by a different code. “Begin, and you will become sure.”
Remember this…certainty is a reward for motion. Clarity shows up after the commitment, not before. Uncertainty isn’t something we endure. It is something we use.
There are three important things uncertainty can teach us.
First, it teaches us humility. Uncertainty reminds us that we can’t control everything, nor are we supposed to. We only control the next step, nothing more.
Secondly, uncertainty teaches us courage. People often mistake courage for confidence. They are not the same. Courage is taking action even when confidence may be lacking.
The third thing uncertainty teaches us is the importance of focus. When we can’t control the outcome, we return to what we can control, and that is our effort, discipline, preparation, and persistence.
This is the essence of Black Belt Leadership.
Understand that the Uncertainty Principle will demand something of us.
First, we must stop asking for guarantees and start asking for direction. Rather than asking if we will success we should be asking for the next right step. Instead of asking if we will fail, we should be asking what we can learn from the effort.
Instead of asking, “Am I ready?” we should be asking, “Am I willing?”
A Black Belt Leader understands that willingness beats readiness. Why? Readiness is a belief based on emotion. Willingness is a belief based on character, who we truly are on the inside.
Let me leave you with the “Uncertainty Principle” for personal growth.
When a decision aligns with your values and moves you forward toward your purpose, don’t wait for certainty. Build certainty through action.
You don’t need perfect clarity. All you need is enough clarity to move, enough courage to begin, enough discipline to continue, and enough humility to adjust and adapt.
It’s a simple formula, but it works.
Remember, certainty is found on the other side of commitment. Most people think certainty is a prerequisite for commitment, but in reality, it’s the other way around. Certainty shows up after the commitment has been made. It’s a byproduct, a result of doing uncomfortable work long enough to earn confidence.
So, if you’re standing at the edge of something new, a new role, a new business, a new relationship, a new season, a new calling, and your mind is demanding guarantees, remember Werner Heisenberg and the Uncertainty Principle.
There is a fundamental limit to what can be known at a given moment in time. Truth be told, complete certainty is not always available.
And sometimes life is designed that way on purpose.
So, you can stop waiting and start becoming. The simple truth is this…You don’t need certainty to move. You need movement to create certainty.
This is the lesson of the Uncertainty Principle.
No more waiting. No more excuses.
To get started, you have to begin.
Let’s go.
