I actually purchased the book when it first came out (and when it seemed like every blogger on the planet was talking about it) but I didn’t get past the first chapter. It just didn’t grab me.
However, upon giving it a second go I discovered that it did contain some useful insights into one of the most pressing issues for those who are trying to leave work behind (clue: it’s in the title of the book). To be more specific, there was one small section of the book that made it worth the purchase price alone.
If you are mired by uncertainty and are in desperate search of a way to boost your confidence and reduce your fear of failure, Uncertainty may hold the key. In this post, I am going to explore what I consider to be its key lesson.
Going to Zero
While Fields spends a lot of time in the book addressing matters that are not directly related to uncertainty (which is rather unusual, given the name of the book), he really nails it towards the end when he talks about “Going to zero.”
I really advise that you grab a copy of the book yourself (if only to devour that section and commit it to memory), but I will attempt to paraphrase Fields’ concept here.
The notion is simple: if you can quantify your worst fear about any given endeavor — if you can name it and frame it — you can tame it.
Fields points out that we often exaggerate our greatest fear until it becomes a disproportionately huge monster. Before long, what was once the worst case scenario in our mind seems more like an inevitability, and you are paralyzed into complete inaction. This is what Fields calls “going to zero.”
Sound familiar?
The solution, as Fields presents it, comes packaged within the answer to three questions.
- What if I go to zero? I.e. what’s the absolute worst that can happen? Write it down; be realistic. Once you’re done, answer the other half of the question: how you will recover. Give equal attention to answering that part (and believe me — few things in life are too big to come back from).
- What if I do nothing? Answering this question may represent the most important step in the process of leaving work behind you will ever take. How so? As Fields puts it, “there is no sideways in life.” The concept is simple: if you are unhappy now, you will be more unhappy in the future. That unhappiness will only grow. You will not exist on the same plane of unhappiness. You cannot ignore the negativity in your life, unless you are happy for it to become a bigger force in the coming weeks, months and years.
- What if I succeed? Here’s where you fantasize about what could be. Lay it all out. If you have a very specific vision for your business, write it down. If you’re more driven by the outcome (e.g. what your daily routine looks like) then write that down.
Once you’re done answering these questions, Fields advises that you do three things:
- “Acknowledge the potential for pain created by the first scenario, but also the power of your recovery scenario and the potential for even greater creative space.”
- “…take the sideways storyline, drink it in, feel it viscerally, and understand its genuine impact on your life.”
- …take your success storyline. Add more detail. What does it feel like, sound like, taste like? What do you see?
Putting the possible outcomes of your future actions into perspective can make a world of difference to your uncertainty and fear of failure. What was once a blind fear of an unlikely potential outcome can be tamed by clearly defining possible outcomes and exploring how they might develop. I think the above exercise is invaluable for anyone mired by uncertainty.
Does This Work For You?
I wish I had this framework when I was in the process of quitting my job. Although I will always be uncertain when I push myself into new endeavors, I can’t imagine that I will ever experience the same weight of uncertainty (and potential consequence) as I did then.
And that leads me to one simple question for those of you who suffer from uncertainty: does the process work for you? Does it help you to wrest control over your uncertainty and feel more confident about what you do next? Does it release you from the paralysis of inaction and spur you into doing?
Let me know in the comments section below!
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