Certainty Is the Enemy of Growth

When possibilities feel endless it's easy to get stuck - it's hard to know which choice is the right one. Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash

A few weeks ago I got a call from an entrepreneur who was feeling stuck. He’d talked to as many successful people as he could, trying to figure out what to do next. He had plenty of options, plenty of possible directions he could take his business, but he kept coming back to one phrase:

“I’m not sure what will work best.”

Geez, I felt like I was listening to myself when he said that. I can’t count the number of times that thought has taken over my thinking.

I know the feeling of spinning your tires, of overthinking every possible path until the joy and momentum drain away. Entrepreneurs are great at seeing what could be. That’s one of their gifts. But it’s also true that too many possibilities becomes a trap that freezes us in place. We dance and dabble in a little of everything and develop nothing.

Over the past year, I’ve caught myself doing exactly that. I’ve been building this thought leadership business for a while now but have struggled to figure out what’s next. Should I write a book? Focus on keynotes? Workshops? Coaching? Online courses? The possibilities are endless. And that endlessness can feel paralyzing.

I’ve often had to relearn something I teach people all the time: certainty will never come. We’ll never fully know which option is “best.” 

Saying “I’m not sure” isn’t a weakness. In fact, it can be a doorway to growth. The problem is when we treat uncertainty as a stop sign instead of a starting line.

That need for certainty - wanting to be absolutely sure before moving - has held me back more than once. It’s kept me from experimenting, from learning, from discovering what actually works.

So when the entrepreneur asked what to do, I told him:

“Certainty is the enemy of growth. Stop trying to pick the best next step. Pick any next step, and commit to it. Learn by doing, not by thinking.”

The truth is if you make a choice and it’s the wrong one, you’ll learn something valuable from it. You’ll use that knowledge to take a better step next time. That’s how progress works.

So often we don’t try new things because we’re certain they won’t work, or because we’re uncertain if they will. Either way, our relationship with certainty gets in the way.

Growth comes from being curious enough to act before you feel certain about your choice. 

This week I invite you to identify an area of your life where you’re feeling a bit stuck between possibilities. Can you make a choice to commit one way or another and take action? 

Don’t wait for certainty. Start with curiosity. 

And if you’d like, let me know what you’re working on. I read and respond to every email I receive.