Uncertainty isn’t the absence of direction — it’s the birthplace of possibility.
It often feels like everyone around you knows exactly what they want. What they like. What they don’t.
And when you don’t — it can feel like floating in an open ocean without direction.
But what if not knowing is your gift?
The Beauty of Uncertainty
Our brains are wired to love certainty.
Psychologists call it the need for cognitive closure — the desire to have clear answers, to label things, to know. It gives us a sense of safety.
When things are predictable, our nervous system relaxes.
But uncertainty is not the enemy. It’s the space where new possibilities grow.
Research from neuroscientists at University College London found that uncertainty activates the same brain regions as anticipation — the feeling we get before something exciting happens.
So, “not knowing” doesn’t just cause fear; it also sparks curiosity and creativity. That’s why it’s the starting point of everything new.
When you don’t know what you want, you stay open.
Open to what life wants to show you. Open to new people, experiences, and directions that wouldn’t fit into your old plans. It’s like traveling without a map.
You don’t always know where you’ll end up — but that’s how you discover the places you never knew existed.
Psychologists like Carol Dweck call this a growth mindset: the belief that not knowing doesn’t mean failure — it means you’re learning. When we stay open, we stay alive to change.
The Challenge: Not Drowning in Possibility
Of course, being open can also feel overwhelming. The voices, the options, the opinions — everyone seems to have it figured out, and you’re still listening.
Here’s the key: listening doesn’t mean losing yourself. It means taking in the world around you, then pausing to ask,
- What does this do to me?
- What resonates — and what doesn’t?
That reflection builds your inner compass. Not the truth, but your truth for now.
And that’s enough to take the next step.
Change Is A Constant
Everything changes anyway. What you believe, what you want, what you think you know — it all evolves.
Philosophers like Heraclitus said it long ago: “The only constant in life is change.” Modern psychology backs this up — identity is fluid, not fixed. You’re meant to grow out of old dreams and into new ones.
So, if you feel lost, maybe you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be — in between. In the space between what was and what could be. That’s where growth lives.
A Wider Perspective
We look back at people from the 14th century and wonder: How could they have thought that way?
But in a few hundred years, people will probably say the same about us. Truth changes with perspective, with time, with understanding. So maybe “not knowing” isn’t a flaw.
It’s simply staying humble enough to let truth unfold.
If you don’t know where you’re going — breathe.
You’re not broken. You’re open. Because “not knowing” isn’t emptiness.
It’s freedom.
It’s space.
It’s the quiet before something beautiful begins
With love & care,
Katja, Creator of Homeless
