The Unknown: How to Flourish when You Don't Know What's Next

Do you like crossword puzzles? On a blustery winter day in 1913 Arthur Wynne sat in his office at the New York World and wrestled with a problem. The Christmas edition of “fun,” the jokes and supplement section he managed, was being taken out of the newspaper and Wynne felt readers needed a new challenge. Inspired by some word form puzzles he was familiar with (because he immigrated into the US from Liverpool at age 19) and his familiarity with the Sator Square, he designed a numbered a diamond-shaped grid with an empty center. The Sator Square was a five-word Latin palindrome. He inserted “fun” at the top as the first “across” entry and called it "word cross". An illustrator later accidentally changed “Word Cross” to “Cross Word”.

The crossword world exploded in 2006 when the documentary Wordplay was released, A love letter to the die-hard puzzle solvers who religiously attend Shortz’s American crossword puzzle tournament with guest appearances by celebrities like Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart. Soon, solving crosswords was a cool thing for young people. And nothing has had a bigger impact on the way we solve crosswords or make them than the internet. Just Google crosswords and see what you get.

I rarely do a crossword, but occasionally, I come to the rescue of others who love to do them but occasionally get stuck. The other day, someone asked me for a word that means uncertain outcome. I gave them the following words as suggestions: cliffhanger (too many letters), tossup (too few letters), doubt (too few letters), dicey (doesn’t begin with a d), and venture (there it is!!!!).

Then it occurred to me. It is a bit like life, isn’t it? We never know what tomorrow holds. We live in a life filled with uncertainty. There are cliffhanger moments. There are times when things are just a tossup. There are periods where life gets dicey. There are times when we don’t even want to venture out any further because we are filled with so much doubt. We don’t even know what the next hour will bring sometimes. And that kind of uncertainty produces virtually all our anxieties and fears.

Dealing with uncertainty is a universal challenge in today's world. But there are ways to navigate them. Here are some practical psychological grounded approaches. Accept that uncertainty is normal. Uncertainty isn’t a problem to eliminate-it is a constant of life. I have recommended to some clients that they remind themselves this because it reduces the feeling that something is wrong. I suggested that they think of it as building tolerance rather than seeking perfect control. And focus on what they can control. Make a list—what is in my control (my actions, preparation and attitude) and what is not in my control (people’s opinions, timing and outcomes). Spend your energy only on the first category.

We also need to ground ourselves in the present moment. Fear thrives in imagined futures, and we need to just take time to breathe, use the 5,4,3,2,1 grounding method or do brief meditation or mindfulness exercise. This has been shown to reduce overthinking and physiological anxiety.

Sometimes we just need to take small steps instead of seeking perfect clarity. I find this a lot with people who want to leave their employment situation and start something up on their own. They want to define the new gig from A to Z before they make a move, so it becomes an overwhelming task. Uncertainty becomes less overwhelming when you break things down. I coached a person last year who had paralysis by analysis. So, we started with the questions, "What is one small step that you could take today?” And “What is the next piece of information that you need?” Clarity often comes after action, not before it.

When the future feels shaky, stable daily habits—sleep, exercise, work blocks, meaningful activities—give our life anchors that make uncertainty easier to tolerate. At the same time, reframing can also help. Uncertainty doesn’t only mean “something bad might happen”. It also means growth could happen, opportunities will happen that you can’t see yet, or there will be unexpected positive outcomes. This is not forced optimism, just a balanced view. Often, the way to unpack this is to talk things out with a friend, mentor or professional that can give us more perspective.

Finally, we need to build self-trust. Ask yourself: Have I handled difficult situations before? What strength helped me then? What can I rely on in myself now?

But when you answer those last few questions, consider this: If it were not for our uncertainties, we would have no need to walk by faith. We may not know the immediate outcome, but we know the One who works all things out for good. We have a God who leads us, even if the path seems to be going around in circles. The Israelites, led by faith in God, made 13 circles around the city of Jericho, marching quietly until the moment when they gave a loud shout of victory. Even then, they didn’t know what would happen. But how thrilling was it when the fortified walls of the city crumbled?

So, you see, all of the above techniques are effective in their own way. But one stands above the others. Don’t worry about uncertain outcomes. Trust in the certainty of God and his word amid the uncertainties of life.