We just want to KNOW. Did I get the job? Does he love me? Will I be happy? We just want to know how it will all pan out. I’m an actress, so half my life is spent hoping hard and being rejected. Does that seem dismal? Well, it’s probably more like 70% rejection. But the rejection isn’t the thing that crowds under my skin, making me all squirmy and uncomfortable - the thing that does that: uncertainty.

This need to plan out our lives with careful, calculated, measured certainty is, of course, the antithesis to living a creative life. We know this, and yet, it doesn’t take away the sting of lingering in limbo. It doesn’t calm the swollen heart that can’t decide whether to pump the body with hope or disappointment. It doesn’t still the nerves that hear phantom phone rings when nobody’s a-callin’.

Uncertainty is a fact of life, but this doesn’t mean we have to be a slave to it. I’m not suggesting we sweep our emotionally split attention under the rug, but we can get resourceful when dealing with it:

1. Define what you crave. Okay fine, so you’re not sure how this one job is going to work out, but why does it bother you? What will knowing get you? When you define the thing you are actually craving, you realize that you can have that thing immediately. Go deep. Dig until you’ve gotten to what you’re sure is your baseline. Creating stability doesn’t happen by having your ducks in a row, it happens by figuring out what drives you and who you are.

2. Reach out from your uncertainty. Chances are someone else in your field has felt the same way. Don’t fool yourself into believing this experience is unique. Don’t get me wrong, it is exquisitely yours, but connect with others because of it instead of shrouding yourself in denial. "I’m fine. That’s just the business…" Yes this is factually true, but emotionally false. Acknowledge your sadness, frustration or tiny touch of neuroticism and then connect with others who can relate. Lighten your load by realizing you’re not the only one carrying it.

3. Go work out. Please. Just do it. There is plenty of scientific research that supports this as a de-stressor. You know it does because you’ve experienced this in your own life. As soon as you start moving and drop into your body, you get out of your head. There is nothing more anxiety-ridden than worrying about what could be, and there is nothing more present-making than connecting with your body. Even just a walk can bring you back to solid ground.

4. Create something brand new. There is so much out of our hands that we forget what we do have in our hands: creative agency. The power to make something brand new is energetic currency. When you step into your own authority and make something that didn’t exist before - even if it’s just a delicious dinner - you are putting something unique into the world. Sure, grilling up some chicken doesn’t seem like much, but the more you create small things every day, the more your brain will expect that creativity from you.

5. Toast the unknown. We can struggle against the unknown, we can fiddle with uncertainty or we can appreciate it for what it is: magic. The quiet thrill of feeling flung wildly off track. The generous gift from the universe that proves to us that our spontaneity, improvisational skills and beating heart are all in tact and accounted for. Celebrate the fact that this semi-craziness, this temporary head game, is fleeting. Let it serve as a reminder that our life is not measured by how methodically we hit our marks, but rather by how willing we are to surrender to life's mystery.

How do you react to uncertainty?

All images via Pinterest.