3 Strategies to Embrace Uncertainty When Making Big Decisions
In this post, you’ll discover three strategies to embrace uncertainty, ignite a growth mindset, and make hard life decisions with more ease. We’ll then dive deeper into why mindset is so important to the trajectory of your life.
As a Mindset Coach, I know what is currently blocking you from making progress. I know what is keeping you stuck in indecision in the very areas of your life that you feel a deep desire to improve. How do I know? Because you are human. The answer lies in a dance happening between your mindset and the state of your nervous system that is stopping you from moving forward.
Three Strategies for Making Decisions Under Uncertainty
Even the most positive and functional people have stumbling blocks, limiting beliefs and an inner critic that can get in their way. I support my clients to lean into ways they can apply a growth mindset to the areas of life that they would like to improve. It is all about gaining agency over the state of your mind.
"The mind is like a parachute, it doesn’t work if it isn’t open." - Frank Zappa
So, let’s explore ways you can tap into and build your own growth mindset when you are making a big life decision.
1. Turn Uncertainty into Curiosity
The greater the level of uncertainty a decision presents to your life the harder it is to make. And in the face of uncertainty, it is really common to spiral into overwhelm and fear that lead to indecision. That is because your body perceives uncertainty in the mind as a threat which prompts it to go into a physiological state to respond to that threat.
It can be surprising to realize that your body can be triggered into a “fight or flight response” just from a thought. And when this state takes over, it can impair your thinking, increase your bias toward negativity and cause you to suddenly darken your lens to a more Fixed Mindset.
Instead of festering in uncertainty for long, flip the script and see your indecision as an opportunity to get curious. Curiosity sits much better in your nervous system as it is not perceived as a threat. Curiosity ignites creativity, enthusiasm, positivity and playfulness. Curiosity creates a sense of ease and flow. It brings you to the present moment.
Rather than feeling paralyzed by indecision, ask the question: How can I gain inspiration, ignite my passions and learn from others who have walked the same road?
These questions lead to learning that will ultimately help inform your decision and on their own, they might actually be enjoyable. Imagine that! Enjoying the journey.
2. Create a Decision Buffer
Sometimes it can be hard to hold curiosity for an extended amount of time when you need to make a decision. Intrusive thoughts may interrupt you and spike a stress response.
One way to keep that doubt and skepticism at bay is to create a container. For example, commit to exploring and learning during a specified time period, after which you will commit to taking stalk.
For example, you could take the next 2 weeks or 3 to 6 months before you even entertain the idea of making a decision during which you sign up for a course, read books, binge podcasts, go to events, and connect with people who can shed light on the subject.
This frees you up to stay in curiosity and play, and have fun. And more often than not, when you do this, the answers come naturally without all the inner turmoil.
3. Connect with Your Inner Mentor
I share below how being confronted with your mortality can be a potent catalyst for mindset change. Well, you don’t have to wait for a diagnosis or a near-death experience to do that.
This may sound strange but, guided in the right way, you can play with your vantage point of your current life situation. Instead of seeing it from where you stand today, see it from the perspective of an 85-year-old you who is already taking stalk of your life and coming to terms with your mortality, and looking back at this moment through a very different lens.
It is easy enough to do a thought exercise that lets you connect with an imagined version of your older self, which has a powerful effect of tapping into a wise, inner mentor inside of you. This kind of exercise lets you hear your voice of intuition and make decisions from a more aligned, core values-driven place.
Guided visualization: “Tap into your Voice of Intuition”. >> Download the audio and worksheet for free.
The Power of Mindset in Embracing Uncertainty
Your mindset is made up of beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions that dictate how you interpret and react to the things that happen in your life. It is the way you see the world, your circumstances, your abilities, your relationships and your future.
This lens is rooted in your life experiences so far, the media you consume and the people you have been influenced by.
It will dictate how you go about learning new things, chasing new goals or not, interacting with others or not, dealing with setbacks, and everything in between.
"It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not." - Carol Dweck
In my work as a Mindset Coach, it is my role to help my clients put a spotlight on their mindsets so they can shift their way of thinking and feeling around the topics they have come to me to address.
My work is based on the premise that mindset is fluid, that you have the ability to change your thought patterns to better serve your goals and your overall well-being. Because if you shift the way you think and feel, your behavior changes as a natural consequence.
Skeptical about mindset being fluid? Well think about this…
Your mindset can be altered after big life events and experiences. For example, a scary diagnosis could quickly transform your way of living. You might suddenly be very motivated and successful at sticking to a clean diet and exercise plan that had previously eluded you. It might inspire you to quit your job and go after that secret dream you were too afraid to chase before.
Being faced with your own mortality tends to be one of the biggest catalysts for mindset change.
Having a child can transform you, too. I know for me, before kids, travel and a career that involved lots of it was my happy place. But once I was holding my little girl, those far-flung destinations had lost their luster. And I was compelled to close my travel media company and work in-house.
I could have never imagined doing that before, but having a kid diminished my appetite for risk and the unpredictability of running my own business (for a time). My mindset had shifted towards one that was more protective.
And looking back, I can’t help but experience a tinge of regret. If I had kept a more open mindset, I could have found a way to pivot my strategy and minimize travel.
As you can see, when a mindset shift occurs, it promotes changes in your decision-making and your behaviors in all directions. And ultimately, your mindset dictates your life outcomes.
Good thing we can manufacture mindset shifts in our coaching sessions and in our lives without having to wait for life to impose its will on us. We can take more ownership of the process and live more intentionally.
Work 1:1 with Kate to transform your mindset. >> Book a free discovery session today
Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
Psychologist, Carol Dweck presented the paradox between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset in her book, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.”
Someone with a truly fixed mindset holds the belief that real change and improvement are out of reach. They likely avoid new challenges, fixate on the possibility of failure, and don’t dare to try new things for fear of being perceived as a beginner.
In the context of today’s world where technology, the world of work and culture at large are changing so quickly, a fixed mindset is simply not adaptive. Someone with this mindset will miss out on a life lived to its fullest putting undue emphasis on self-protection, hiding and playing small. Their lives slowly get less dynamic the older they get.
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” - John A. Shedd
On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset is more likely to embrace the unknown. They will sign up for that course, change companies or career paths, start a new business or side hustle, take on new hobbies, go on adventures, strike up new conversations, pursue personal growth, attend to their health and generally be more courageous in their lives.
If you feel that you are definitely in the growth mindset camp or if you are disappointed to think maybe you have a fixed one, beware! It is common to have a growth mindset in some areas of life while being blocked with a fixed mindset in others. This is the paradox of mindset.
You may also have experienced waxing and waning between these types of mindsets in the same arena in your life. When confidence comes and goes, when the desire to do something new gets confronted with the necessity to struggle, it’s easy to toggle back and forth. After all, mindset is fluid.
Learning how to be more resilient and shift yourself back into a growth mindset more quickly will help you stay consistent, lead to your biggest breakthroughs and create a life you are truly proud of.
I hope these perspectives on a growth mindset and strategies for using a growth mindset to make a big life decision have been helpful and actionable for you.
If you would like any further support or would like to explore coaching, book a complimentary Discovery Call here.
