Every Entrepreneur Struggles With Uncertainty: Here's How I Learned To Deal With It

The only thing that is certain in life is uncertainty. There are countless things that keep business founders and leaders awake at night. Clients, employees, investors and everything in between can, and often do cause terrible uncertainty and along with it, stress and anxiety. We all deal with uncertainty in different ways, but coping with it healthfully is something few very few manage to do, reports Forbes.

I’ve been guilty of allowing uncertainty to get to me in the context of running dealing my company, BodeTree. It’s a very exciting time for us as we’re growing rapidly and working with new partners every day. We’re also about to begin our latest fundraising round to add some fuel to our growth engine. Fundraising, no matter how well your business is doing, is always a stressful process. When you couple a capital raise, dramatic growth, and the possibility of several game-changing partnerships coming online, it’s safe to say that I’m operating in an uncertain environment.

I was lamenting my situation with one of my trusted mentors the other day, and as usual he provided sage advice. He said, “Chris, you have to understand that maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty.” His profound, yet simple words struck a chord with me. Uncertainty is part of life, but it doesn’t have to be an anxiety-inducing, momentum crippling experience. Instead, he helped me realize that everyone has the potential to choose a different path; a path of positivity and joy, even in the face of the most uncertain situations.

A mature mind is self-aware

A strong sense of self-awareness is a vital trait that every member of the team needs to develop and nurture. Without it, it’s impossible to control your reaction to the trials and tribulations that life so often presents. This is especially important for leaders, as their actions (either conscious or unconscious) set the tone for the entire organization.

The first step towards self-awareness is to recognize and be open about the things that cause stress, anxiety, and negativity in your life. This enables you to prepare yourself and your team for challenging situations well ahead of time. Positivity and negativity are a choice; the only trick is that you have to be self-aware enough to recognize it.

A mature mind recognizes that control is an illusion 

Humans have a persistent and particularly nasty tendency to try to control everything around them. A strong argument can be made that fruitless attempts at control are generally at the root of all suffering. Business leaders, in particular, tend to box themselves and their team into painful situations when they try to exert control over things that cannot be controlled. This futility leads to anger, frustration, and irrational decisions. Once this behavior takes hold, it builds on itself and can spread like wildfire throughout an organization.

The key to fostering positivity and a functional team is the ability to recognize that control is simply an illusion. Once you stop trying to control your circumstances, you open yourself up to countless possibilities. Understanding this allows you to find new and positive ways to react to the challenges you encounter along the way. The only thing you have control over is your outlook.

A mature mind has the ability to find the joy in any situation

Everyone has the ability to find the joy in any circumstance, regardless of how challenging it seems. Joy can often be found in the suffering itself, as it helps you learn more about yourself and grow stronger. It’s a choice we have the ability to make. Almost every situation can be viewed in a positive light if you look from the right angle. I challenge my team to pause and find the good in every situation they encounter. With enough practice, positivity becomes your default setting.