How can we channel the fear of not knowing?

Entrepreneurs, those of us who undertake the risky pursuit of opportunity beyond our controlled resources, exist on something known as the experimentation execution continuum.

We achieve our success by seamlessly moving from one project to another, creating of a unique portfolio of trials, errors, iterations and successes, ideally with little or no loss of enthusiasm along the way.

This continuum can be profoundly scary and lonely and disorienting. It can drain your soul, not to mention your entire life savings. Make no mistake, entrepreneurship not for the faint of heart, the barren of spirit or the shallow of mind.

The good news is, there is a valuable weapon acquired along this rocky path. One that we can use in every area of life, forever, until we die.

The capacity for faithful instigation. The ability to take action without conventional luxuries like certainty, clarity, control and closure.

Ah, the four horsemen of the entrepreneurial apocalypse. May they come riding on the scorching earth with cloven heels and shaggy coats.

However, those of us risk misfits, those of us opportunity junkies, we move forward anyway. We trust that when we wade into this project with little or no support, we will not drown. We trust that in this unfolding creative process, all moments are valuable. We trust that our destination maybe unknown until we finally find ourselves there.

Certainty, clarity, control and closure? These are the folly of fools.

Not knowing is the form of torture humans have no choice but to become comfortable with. Maybe even learn to love.

And so, if you have been receiving the warning flares of instinctual ripples of dreaded uncertainty, take a breath and tell yourself that you’re okay.

Because while it that energy may be unsettling, it’s still energy. Which means it can be channeled.

May you reach into the darkness, uncertain of what will be received, and cast your faith forward as light on your path.

Whitley said it best in his most hopeful song:

“There’s a dirt floor underneath here, to receive us when changes fail, may this shovel loosen your troubles, let them fall away.”

How strong is your capacity for faithful instigation?