Why Uncertainty Makes Us Anxious (and How to Master It)

Uncertainty.

Just the word alone can make your stomach tighten a little. In the workplace, uncertainty can feel like a looming storm cloud—you know something is coming, but you don’t know what, when, or how intense it’s going to be.

Whether it’s waiting on feedback, anticipating changes in your role, or not knowing where your next opportunity is coming from, uncertainty can stir up a cocktail of anxiety that’s hard to swallow.

I’ve noticed that much of my success, and the success of others, is closely linked to how well they handle uncertainty. Whether it’s starting a company, waiting for a better job offer, or negotiating your salary when you literally have no other offers, these situations put you face-to-face with discomfort and limbo.

But why does uncertainty make us so anxious?

And more importantly, how can we manage it without losing our cool?

The Brain's Love for Control

Our brains are hardwired to crave predictability. It’s a survival instinct—if we know what’s coming, we can prepare for it. So when we’re faced with uncertainty, it’s like our brain is frantically flipping through a blank page, searching for patterns that just aren’t there. The result? Anxiety.

But here’s the thing: life, especially professional life, is rarely predictable. The most successful people? They’ve learned not just to live with uncertainty but to use it to their advantage.

Why Uncertainty Feels Like a Threat

Let’s get real for a second. Uncertainty taps into our most primal fears. The unknown is scary because our minds tend to fill in the blanks with the worst-case scenarios. It’s not our fault—it’s evolution. Back in the day, it was safer to assume that rustling in the bushes was a predator rather than just the wind. But in today’s world, that kind of thinking can lead to a spiral of unnecessary worry and stress.

Then there’s the perceived lack of control. When we can’t predict the outcome, we feel powerless. This sense of helplessness fuels our anxiety. We stress about things we can’t change or don’t know, which often leads us down a rabbit hole of “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios.

The Magic of Embracing Uncertainty

Here’s where it gets interesting: some of the most successful people out there have mastered the art of enduring uncertainty. They don’t just tolerate it—they thrive on it.

In 2008, Elon Musk was at a crossroads. Both Tesla and SpaceX were on the brink of failure. Tesla was struggling with production issues and burning through cash, while SpaceX had just failed three consecutive launches, putting the company’s future in jeopardy. Musk was running out of money and had to make a choice: save one company or risk everything on both.

Musk decided to invest his remaining funds into both companies, a move that left him nearly broke. The uncertainty was immense—if either company had failed, Musk would have lost everything.

We all know how that story ended.

I believe a lot of magical things can happen if you improve your ability to deal with uncertainty. It allows you to outlast people in negotiations, get delayed payoffs, and more.

Dealing with Uncertainty: Control What You Can & Ignore the Rest

This has been my number one way of dealing with uncertainty.

There will always be things outside of your control and things within your control. For example, when EntryLevel sales were down for a month, I couldn’t control purchasing behavior. I couldn’t mind-control customers into buying my courses (though if you want to buy them of your own volition, please do! Check them out here). However, what I could control was the messaging, advertising, and channels we used to attract customers. So we focused our energy on coming up with better ads, messaging, and uncovering new marketing channels.

Crypto prices have been incredibly volatile in the last few months, and as someone who has a bunch of money invested, it can be stressful to look at it. My solution? Ignore it. If I don’t need the money today, then why look at it? Has my thesis changed? No. So there’s no reason to get an information overload by constantly checking news and prices. By reducing the information you consume, it’s easier to deal with price uncertainty because you’re focusing on other things.

Until next time,

Ajay