Removing uncertainty

Uncertainty is scary. And uncomfortable.

I used to think that the way to be happy was to work hard to remove uncertainty. But once I’d done that I was still often unhappy.

The problem is that only doing things with a low level or no level of uncertainty usually means doing things with very low stakes. Nothing is being changed. Not yourself and not anyone else.

But having things at stake, having skin in the game, a deadline to meet, doing something you’ve never done before, that’s what work should be about.

Save the certainty for what you’re having for breakfast or making sure the family eats dinner together tonight. Have a rock steady, boring routine so that you can show up and do the scary stuff in your work.