I'm sure someone older and wiser than I can list any number of life events which contain more uncertainty than running a startup. So far, I haven't found any. My intellect understands I'm not in a life or death situation. I am aware that failure is more common than success, and that money I've taken is risk capital. Still, the emotional highs and lows move faster than the left side of my brain. In one afternoon, something can happen and I will feel the elation of success while watching failure head straight at me. Fortunately, I have found habits, or maybe 'perspectives' is a better word, that make uncertainty a tool rather than a burden. These are the 5 tools I use for dealing with uncertainty.
1. Realize Anxiety Is Just A Chemical Reaction
I think most everyone has heard of the 'flight or fight response'. But if you've been living in a cave for the past century, here's an explanation. The term 'flight or fight response' describes our bodies response to a perceived threat. The body releases mass quantities of cortisone, a natural steroid, into our brains and other muscles. The mind can do only one thing, ask itself one question: should I run or should I fight?
Harvard psychologist William Bradford Cannon coined the phrase 100 years ago in 1915. He pointed out that, unlike thousands of years ago, we no longer sit as an item on several predators' dinner menus. Most of the threats we face today are invisible. We find ourselves left with an autonomic response that can make missing a deadline feel like a lion attack.
I've tried both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical methods of reducing anxiety. The best that I can say about pharmaceutical methods is that they soften but stretch out the torture. To be honest, I have found regular meditation minimizes the onset of 'flight or fight'. Some deep breathing and reflection help too. I tell myself, "It's not a lion. It's not a lion. It's not a lion."
2. Make A Habit Of Stepping Away From The Desperate Moments
If I feel like the world is about to end, I go for a walk. This isn't easy. At first, I forced myself. After several attempts, stepping out for a little while became second nature. I have found this has a calming effect on those around me too.
I've started up several businesses myself and am now Chief Growth Officer at Bunny Inc. I discovered the effect of stepping out for a coffee when I was running a startup called RewardMe. My staff and I looked to be on course for a complete breakdown. Even an all-nighter didn't look like enough time to finish our project.
So I left for two hours. I made a reassuring remark as I stepped out and when I came back a sense of calm had settled over the studio. My non-presence had the effect of showing I was confident in my staff. They didn't need my energy at that point. My energy would have made the situation worse. Everyone would have been wondering what I was thinking. Instead, my staff developed their own rhythm and the work got done. Sometimes the best thing you can do is go away.
3. Keep Friends Close, Keep Enemies In Perspective
I've found it impossible to follow my set course without upsetting someone. Sometimes those people I upset are not kind, gentle or forgiving. Sometimes they want revenge. Am I gonna worry? I've found most enemies defeat themselves.
Several times I've been witness to the staff member who thinks he or she can do it better and goes out and tries to compete. Non-competes or not, I've seen it happen. California's non-compete laws are so hard to use it's not worth trying. It doesn't matter though. I've never seen a former staff member out on their own be much more than a temporary nuisance.
I keep my ego in check. My enemies are competent enough to fail on their own, without my help.
4. Run Your Work -- Don’t Let it Run You
Everything that happens to me, and around me, in a work day informs what I should be doing. I don't try to control the situation. I am just one participant, and the extent of my power only influences, not controls, the outcome. So much is out of my control I only try to be in the right place at the right time with the right state of mind.
As a college student, I tried joining management consulting firms. My big dream out of college went kaput. Rejection letters piled up at home. In reaction to this, I started Bruin Consulting, the first undergraduate consulting organization out of UCLA. We launched an undergraduate case competition that was a resounding success. Until Bruin Consulting, management consulting firms did not recruit out of UCLA. Today they do. So while I wanted an outcome that affected me personally, I got an experience that continues to inform me today and has helped future graduates realize their dreams.
5. Let Uncertainty Open Up Opportunity
I have my moments where I feel any decision I make has a big potential downside. I have found those are the times when I am missing something important. It may be that what I need has not yet materialized. Sometimes no decision is the best decision and something comes out of nowhere at the right time.
Had I decided to let rejection letters from those management firms influence my perspective my life would have gone a completely different direction. How could I possibly have seen myself as someone who could start up a successful business venture? Luckily I let fate play out and within a short time had raised $1m for RewardMe. Sometimes one needs to be patient and let potential reveal itself.
Life is unpredictable: 5 years ago I ran RewardMe, 3 years ago I ran a conglomerate of lifestyle businesses, 2 years ago I joined Bunny Inc., and today I’m working in Tokyo, Japan launching the Japanese version of our website. My 20’s has been a wild, highly educational ride that’s allowed me to experiment many professional paths and helped me pinpoint what I want to do with my life. Don’t let unpredictability and uncertainty paralyze you -- roll with the punches and use them to catapult your career.
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