Illustration by Sam Prowse
We have been living with many unknowns over the past few months in ways that most of us have never experienced, and there is more uncertainty ahead as we begin the second half of this COVID-19 pandemic year. As we think about life at home and at work, perhaps summer camp and then school, and maybe traveling again, there are many factors to weigh. These circumstances can feel overwhelming, and yet, there is a way through, which comes by leaning into your truth.
I don’t mean to imply that everyone should establish their own version of events to justify what they want to do, regardless of how it impacts others. I’m talking about coming up with a way to make a good decision when you don’t feel like you have all the facts you need, when you don’t have the certainty you’re used to. Learn to trust your intuition — it’s a powerful, rational tool that can help you make better decisions in the face of uncertainty. Here are three steps to take you beyond confusion to clarity.
1. Draw from personal experience.
While I’m generally reliable, I’ve been known to be flaky from time to time, except during a crisis. That’s when you really want me around. For some reason, my first reaction is neither fight nor flight, it’s empathy. I try to understand how others are experiencing the crisis, and what they need. Then I search. I search for guidance from authorities. I search for escape routes. And I search for the truth — what is actually happening, and how rapidly is our understanding of it changing. And finally, I take action. I try to reach safety — emotionally and physically — to get out of the immediacy of the crisis so I can figure out what to do next.
Just because this is my typical response, that doesn’t make it right or wrong; it just makes it my experience, and the more I respond this way to a crisis, the more likely I am to respond this way in the future. Another person might react to crisis and uncertainty with deeper reflection, not as a form of inaction, but to better inform action. It’s less about which way you go and more about going a way that is true to who you are.
2. Listen, do your homework and learn.
If we only rely on our own experiences, we may not be seeing the whole picture. You need to reach beyond yourself. This starts by simply asking others, “How are you processing this? What are you using to make your decisions?”
Listen to them. You’ll learn what their experiences have been and discover the sources of information they’re using. This can become shared knowledge that can inform you and help light the path forward. I focus on two sources of information: facts from credible, reliable sources (typically the authorities, the “experts”) and consulting people I trust — family and friends. In a crisis, I don’t have time to wonder about the accuracy or the intention behind the information I’m getting. I need to have confidence in it.
3. Take informed action.
After you’ve reflected on your own experiences and accumulated additional knowledge, it’s time to take action. While you’re still proceeding with a degree of faith, your confidence should be increased because you are moving forward in a way that reflects your past experiences and accumulated knowledge — your intuition. You are acting in a way that is true to who you are, and in the face of such uncertainty, what could be more trustworthy?
So feel good about your decisions, but don’t be smug. As we are venturing back out, each of us experiences this differently. Some of us are scared, others are excited. Some of us are still working from home, others no longer have jobs to go back to. So before you are quick to judge someone, take a minute to consider their perspectives and experiences. Chances are, they’re different. And if we can respect one another and our different pathways through this challenging time, we can come through it together.
James Warren has called Richmond home for 14 years. He’s vice president with JMI and founded the company’s storytelling startup, Share More Stories.
