(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr. Find out more at my newsletter.)
The last few weeks have been an exercise in admitting I don’t know things. There are futures I can’t predict. There are results I can’t estimate. There are times I’m not sure I can do something.
As you can guess, it’s been a hell of a few weeks.
Yet, we’re taught not to admit our ignorance, or our inability, or our exhaustion. People tell us to be strong, to double down, to forge ahead no matter what. We fear being seen as weak if we admit we don’t know something. Such pressure drives us to pretend, to deceive, or to make things up.
My recent experiences have reminded me this isn’t true. There is great power in saying “I don’t know” about something and moving on.
There are things I desperately want to predict right now that I cannot. By admitting I cannot accept that common truth, I also have come to appreciate my adaptability. The future may be unknown, but I see I can deal with that.
There are skills I wish I were better at, but I have to develop them. Now that I admit this, I can focus on developing those skills while working within my limits. It gives me a plan.
I’m doing projects with unpredictable ends – from my writing ambitions to new challenges at work. I admit I can’t calculate what will happen, which prod me to make an effort to get the ends I want. The unknown is a canvas to paint on.
Having confronted so much unsurety, I find myself more relaxed. I’m not trying to “know it all” because of social pressure. I’m not worried over my ignorance as I’ve come to see it simply is what it is. In admitting the unknown, there’s a lot of comfort.
I often challenge my reader to know and learn more – but what is it you don’t know?
Steven Savage
An IT Professional, writer, and Elder Geek who helps people solve their professional and creative problems. Also he cooks, which is sort of about problem solving.
