Two mages and a warrior were on a journey when suddenly the ground gave way, and they tumbled into a cave. They were welcomed by a beautiful view. Crystals growing and glowing everywhere. But these crystals nullified magic.
As experienced and powerful as the two mages were, their skills meant nothing inside this large dark cave. The group eventually had to camp inside. One mage, Frieren, who had lived for hundreds of years, slept soundly. The other mage, Fern, couldn’t sleep—she was terrified. For the first time in her 18 years of life she felt defenseless. She had control over nothing in this enormous cave of uncertainty.
Later on, the warrior fretted over how the oldest mage could sleep so peacefully. To which Frieren replied: “Because I’ve entrusted you with my life.”
Two choices when dealing with uncertainty
When you face deep uncertainty, your brain goes into survival mode. It cannot predict what will happen next. Then you have two choices:
- Let it steal your sleep, paralyze you, and pull you under.
- Trust. Trust in something. Your team, your skills, the universe, your gut, or even your god.
Here’s how we can picture this kind of waiting:
The unexpected event was tumbling into the cave, which drastically reduced the certainty of what would happen next. Then came the liminal space: navigating the cave in search of a way out.
During this liminal space, they chose to trust. In doing so, they shifted from survival mode to possibility mode.
Then came the big reveal: the moment they walked out of the cave after facing danger.
In moments of uncertainty, trust nurtures the belief that you can handle whatever comes next. Because your beliefs shape your reality. As Nir Eyal puts it:
Beliefs are tools, not truths.
Maybe right now, you’ve done everything you could and there’s nothing left but the wait. That’s ok. Keep trusting. Keep walking.
Going through the uncertainty cave is not about being fearless. It’s about walking despite the fear. Trusting that somehow, you’ll make it out.