Nic Peterson
*Recycled article from Certainty Tools. Reposting as we prepare to open another CCA cohort. When the cart for the cohort is open, I set aside extra time to talk to everyone that applies, even if they aren't a good fit I will do what I can to give direction or suggestions
“Most prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty”
Virginia Satir
Certainty.
It’s an interesting concept.
Dan's book Rigging The Game shares the following formula from Chip Conley:
Anxiety = Uncertainty x Powerlessness
What most people really want is to drive anxiety down. They want to feel better about the question: “Am I going to be okay?”.
The need for certainty is so strong that people will often opt for a path of certain misery over the unknown. They rather know they will be miserable, that not be sure.
“The devil you know”
A well-drawn-out, step-by-step, detailed long-term plan would deliver a level of certainty, right? The certainty would feel like power over the outcome, right?
Right.
And that’s the problem.
As much as we try to pretend (or hope?) that we live in a vacuum, we don't. Time is going to pass and unexpected opportunities, events, or outcomes are inevitable. When your world changes and the previous plan is no longer accurate or relevant. This leaves you with two options:
Option 1:Follow an outdated, irrelevant plan to maintain a high level of false certainty
or
Option 2: Throw the plan out the window, leaving you with no obvious path forward and a state of high anxiety.
So how does one achieve “certainty” without a crystal ball? Is it possible?
It is.
Here is one strategy (the one we deploy in the CCA program):
Get to know yourself, your biases, your personality, and your preferences. This is unique to you and it’s important because it’s the biggest unfair advantage only you have.
Get clear on where you are and where you are actually trying to go. This gives us direction. Direction turns the erratic and aimless “need for speed” into a purposeful direction. Turn movement into velocity.
Develop a toolkit, not a map. Imagine planning a five-year road trip using Mapquest. You'd be printing off five years of directions. As roads close, routes change, and bridges get shut down the map becomes less and less useful. Static plans become less useful as more time passes. What you need is an operating system. Google Maps has the ability to adjust to the unknown and the unexpected. It can determine the best path to your destination, given the new information. It's an operating system.
Certainty about who you are. Certainty about where you’re at. Certainty about where you’re going. And Certainty that you know how to adjust to reality so that you are always taking the best for what matters to you most.
False certainty is static.
Real certainty is dynamic.
False certainty looks out the window.
Real certainty looks in the mirror.
False certainty will lead you further away from what matters most to you. But it will do so with unshakeable confidence.
Real certainty is closing the gap; guiding you so that every step you take gets you closer to what matters most.
“Most prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty.”
And for that reason, the CCA is not for everyone. The CCA is for individuals, that want to step into something extraordinary. Whatever that means for them.
The CCA waitlist is open. As we said in our live videos; never assume what we look for in students. It would be a shame to discount your own contribution or potential greatness. We won’t. You can find the application here:
Even if you’re not in CCA 5, we will contact future students when new cohorts open in chronological order.
To your greatness,
Nic and Dan
Ps. You may be asking “What in the world is the CCA?”
Good question. We won’t label ourselves, just like we won’t label you. Fortunately, world-class copywriter and CCA graduate Lukas answers that question right here.
I'm not reposting this in hopes that you get on the waitlist. Of course, if you do, I'm looking forward to chatting about what you've got going on. I'm posting this as another reminder of how often we choose the certainty of misery and will continue to do so until we change our working definition of Certainty.
Onward
Nic
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