One of the most frustrating things I see my clients encounter is that state of not knowing. There's an uncomfortable space where they recognize that where they've been no longer works, but they don't have a clue where to go from here, or how to get there.
Uncertainty makes us uneasy. It feels dangerous. It feels frustrating because we don't have "the answers" and we don't know what to do. And we're always supposed to know what to do, right?
When I hear people getting spooled up about not knowing, I always say, "You don't know where you're going, and you don't know how to get there? GREAT!"
That state of uncertainty is where it all begins. It's the most fertile soil for growing something new. It's a kind of primordial soup, out of which you can identify what's right for you, not just what's habit, or what's been handed to you in the past.
When you reach a state of "I don't know," you start to let go of all the things you think you know, because they're not giving you the answer. In a way, that state of not knowing wipes the slate clean and lets you start looking at the with fresh eyes.
When the uncertainty becomes strong enough we have the opportunity to realize, "What I thought I knew obviously hasn't been working. I need to be open to looking at this in an entirely new way if I want to get past this." And that blows the doors of possibility wide open, because we're not keeping ourselves trapped.
So I say, viva la befuddlement! It's the first step to something amazing on the other side.
Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
The studies into how human beings learn supports the idea that frustration over "not knowing" is an important step in the learning process.
Our ego creates a barrier around our current knowledge. Anything outside that barrier is considered worthless, as our ego tries to suggest that if it had worth, we would know it.
Frustration is the catalyst which causes the ego to stop playing traffic cop and open our mind to new ideas.
In admitting that we do not know, our brain is given the freedom to actually "learn" a new concept.
And so, the greater the frustration, the larger the opportunity.
It's like the scientist who says, "That's impossible - the only way to solve the problem would be (and then he gives the answer)."
Posted by: Jim Durbin | March 21, 2006 at 07:27 AM
Who was it, when asked a question, remarked he was relieved to answer he did not know? Twain?
Posted by: Maureen Sharib | March 29, 2006 at 05:14 AM
All positivity comes out some negativity and vice-versa. That is the way life is and that is why whatever goes up has to come down and vice versa.
Posted by: Hiren Shah | April 01, 2006 at 06:34 AM