Where to Put Your Faith
“Sterling, how can I do anything #NoMatterWhat??
The world is uncertain and what if I can’t?…” It’s one of the most frequently asked questions I get. And as you might expect, I have an answer for you via an excerpt from my new book Hunting Discomfort. If you haven’t pre-ordered yet… pick it up here.
Where to Put Your Faith
The principle of uncertainty means that nothing is guaranteed. Sorry. I wish it were another way. After all your hard work, you may end up without the goal you had in mind.
But all is not lost.
We live in a goal-oriented society. You put in all the work to get to your goal, and if you don’t achieve it how, when and where you expected to, it’s a sign of failure. The self-judgment, humiliation and remorse that comes with it can be too much to bear. At least for some.
I’ve watched entrepreneurs go all-in on a start-up, and when it’s a bust, they collapse—professionally and personally. They give up for some period of time—sometimes forever—mired in self-pity and the situation. I’ve done it myself. Let failures, both big and small, stop me from taking steps forward because I was too busy feeling awful about them.
So, what’s the hopeful part?
When you surrender, any failure or setback simply becomes another step to the destination you’re trying to achieve. When you actively and intentionally accept anything that comes up, failure doesn’t come with the same emotional baggage to weigh you down. And failure is stripped of its power to stop you in your tracks. You’re free to continue the pursuit of whatever goal you have, regardless of what is happening in the moment or what may happen in the future. Surrender is like an emotional contract that you sign with yourself—and the freedom it unlocks within has nothing to do with the events outside of you. And with regular practice, it just gets easier. As you work to accept whatever is arising at each step on your journey, the way forward becomes much clearer and easier to walk.
Would you like even more good news?
Surrendering to uncertainty works both ways. Sure, you might not achieve what you wanted, but that’s only one side of the coin. The other side is that you may end up with results that are better than you set out to achieve. You might even wildly surpass your original goals in ways you can’t yet imagine.
Let’s take, for example, a start-up business that has nearly run out of funding. It’s a story as old as start-ups themselves. There are delays getting to market, customers don’t sign up as fast as originally planned and market conditions have made the situation more difficult. If you’re an entrepreneur, maybe you’ve been there.
I had a friend who reached this very point during his start-up venture. For the purposes of this story, let’s call him Trig. On top of all those conditions listed above, Trig’s investors refused to provide any additional capital, and any potential investors were scared away. Hour by hour, day by day, he took the necessary steps to move forward as best he could. Remember, he was surrendering—not giving up. With his limited resources, he continued to pursue marketing efforts, continued to call potential investors, and continued to support his team. And then it finally happened: the day came when they were completely out of capital.
Trig informed his team, then left to speak at a conference that afternoon, as his last obligation as CEO. He sat near the front, waiting for his turn to be invited to the stage. Naturally, it being a business conference, the person sitting next to him asked, “What do you do?” Trig shared his story.
Turns out, the person sitting next to him was an investor who just happened to be very interested in Trig’s company. After that conference, the investor wired funds to keep it going and eventually bought out the entire company, leaving Trig, now the former CEO, and all the employees a happy profit.
You cannot predict the future with 100 percent certainty no matter how hard you try. But as you actively and intentionally surrender, magic can happen in that open space of letting go. Some things never do work out. Other things, though, can work out beyond your wildest dreams. The trick is surrendering to get there.
