How to deal with micro
and macro uncertainty in life, sport, schooling, the military and in business.
The only things certain in life, is death and uncertainty. If
you do not get mechanisms to deal with uncertainty , you will not get far in
life.
This blog can give you a few empowering suggestions on how
to deal with micro and macro
uncertainty.
Micro uncertainty: The immediate threat in front of
you: The exam: Unknown questions, In
sport the unpredictable ball, The military: The unknown threatening situation.
Macro uncertainty:
How to deal with life in its entirety.
Here are a few pointers:
(i)
Attitude:
The first thing to change is you attitude about uncertainty.
Uncertainty is good. Live would be incredibly boring and monotonous if
everything was certain.
(ii)
Uncertainty is part of the human condition
There are two reason for uncertainty:
We are not all-seeing: We cannot see into the future - we do
not know what is coming.
We are not all powerful: We do not know if I can handle
something or if it is too big for my capacity.
(iii)
Uncertainty is
the mother of creativity
Creativity comes into action, where the is some uncertainty
that must be handled. Because of our ability of creative response, we must know
that uncertainty can be dealt with successfully.
(iv)
Your certainty does not lie in predictability,
but in ability: Learned survival skills, and predictive preparation
There are two more reasons for uncertainty:
One: we do not have basic learned survival skills to fall back onto. Two: We didn’t do enough of what I call ‘general predictive preparation’ We are under
the impression that we can just do life and forget we must prepare and
train – just as you prepare for a match,
or an exam. Obviously we can pre-learn survival skills, and do predictive
preparation to handle whatever life throws at us in an unpredictable mannor.
The wrong methods: Trying to look in the crystal ball? Not working. Bad futurists where their guess
is as good as yours? Not a good plan. (Seek out good futurists such as Clem
Sunter that could actually point out beforehand that something like 9/11 could
happen). Another wrong method is to try
to make the world predictable in an obsessive compulsive way. Perfectionism is
never a compliment – it is very often a dead giveaway for deep seated lurking
feelings of inadequacy in uncertainty. The mistake here is that they break the
first rule of successful stress management. The mistake is that they try to handle
stress by taking the threat away, instead of focussing on their ability to
handle the threat. British adventurer Bear Grylls, does not rely on the
certainty of what he may encounter, but on his ability, and his survival
skills, such as making shelters, and starting a fire, getting food from unique
sources. He finds his security and survival in predictive preparation.
The problem with over controlling people and perfectionists,
is that focus on what they have
very little or no control over namely
the threat. They create enormous
stress for themselves, because they try to control the unpredictable. Instead
we all should focussing on what we have
full control over, namely your reaction
to the threat. Instead of efforts of obsessive manipulation, we must
rather go for predictive preparation, focussing on train your overall
abilities.
Let’s make it practical: How should we deal with micro and
Macro uncertainty? First Micro uncertainty:
1.
Take control of your involuntary stress response:
The automatic stress response in your body kick-starts in a series of physical
manifestations , bypassing your thinking: Fast breathing, hyper-ventilation,
muscles tense up, heart rate increases, impulse to run away. You first step is
to break that cycle. How do you do it? Through: Box Breathing. An American speaker
friend mine of Robert Owens, Navy Seal
trainer, says he is training his students Box breathing: The four sides of the
square:
Up: Inhale for 5 counts.
Sideways top to the right: Hold your breath
for 5 counts,
Down: Exhale for 5 counts,
Sideways bottom to left: Hold it for 5
counts, before you inhale again.
Then repeat all of the above.
You do this, just before you start your
speech, or start to write your exam
2.
Self-talk: You brain kicks now in again: You talk
yourself up by saying something like: I know I can, and I will. If you are a
spiritual person, then add: I am not
alone in this, God is with me (Psalm 121).
3.
Visualize your trained steps: Obviously this presupposes training. This is
whuy sports coaching is important before the game, military training important
before you hit contact, and life coaching is important before you try to do
life. The navy seal being parachuted into a unknown military situation will
visualize the trained steps: land, release or roll up the parachute, hit deck,
crawl to the first ground cover, etc etc
4.
Execute micro steps and small goals. The student in an exam will quickly glance
through the exam questions; immediately start with answer you know best, then
the second one, and then give a shot at those answers you don’t really
know.
These are the four steps to handle Micro uncertainty.
Here are some steps to handle Macro uncertainty in life:
1.
Ask and prepare:
Early in life you are given parents, teachers, coaches. Have a teachable spirit and a
willingness to learn: Ask questions and seek answers
2.
Gather information – as much as possible. About
yourself: about your personality, test your muscles, get to know your talents.
This includes watching the weather forecast before you travel to a destination.
3.
Develop your unique talents: Thinking skills,
ability to control your own emotions (Emotional intelligence), action skills in
sport and business. Get yourself a life
coach, a sports coach, and a business coach.
4.
Explore and get to know the world – see what is
there to face.
5.
Develop the right attitude: Pessimistic? The
worst! Optimistic? Second best. Rather be an Opportunistic Realist – the best
attitude to my mind. (See my other blog about attitude).
6.
Get an overall life plan to crystalize your
focus, and to narrow down variables ( Come do my live or online, life planning
workshops, where you get an architectural plan for your life. Obvioulsly not
everything will work out as planned, but at least you will have the methodology
to design a new life plan, once the previous one was torn up by unexpected
circumstances.
7.
In every micro situation: Take control what is
within your control (your stress
response, your thinking, feelings and actions).
8.
Surround yourself with a support network or
system: (e.g. Get your short term
insurance with roadside assist, if you go on a road trip; make back-up plans to be ready if your
original plan is disrupted).
9.
Don’t be shy to ask for help, as far as you go,
and from every expert who have travelled the life journey before you.
Remember: Life is the permanent creative tension between
uncertainty and certainty. One part of
our being longs for certainty. But that soon becomes boring – then we need
uncertainty again, that will activate our creativity and lead to new stimulating
roads and solutions.
The answer to uncertainty is not predictability (although pre-information,
a little organization , structuring and planning can eliminate a lot of variables).
The answer lies in skills training – to upskill yourself in
coping mechanisms and life skills. That is why life coaching is the name of the
game, if you want to be a winner in the game of life.
Disclaimer: Important notice to you as the reader: Although the life coach (dr Gustav Gous) provide certain recommendations, the sole and final responsibility for decision-making remains your own and that the life coach or anybody associated to him and his company Short Walk Seminars Pty Ltd cannot be held responsible for any of your choices and reactions. You, the reader, must take full responsibility for your life, reactions and choices.
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