How to Grow in Uncertain Times: 8 Tools for Resilience

Everyday Better is LinkedIn News’ weekly personal development podcast and weekly newsletter hosted by Leah Smart, a LinkedIn News Editor. You’ll hear from some of the world's brightest minds and bravest hearts who use science and story to share strategies for how we can flourish individually, in relationship to others and to the world around us. We talk about improving emotional, work, physical and relational health.

Some years ago, I found myself at a crossroads. I was in a role I knew wasn't aligned with my long-term goals, and I wanted to find a more purposeful path. Just as I began to create a vision for what that future might look like, I was thrown off course by an unexpected opportunity: the chance to interview for a management role at the company I was already working for. Getting this job would mean finally becoming a manager, a role many aspire to. There were plenty of upsides, but one glaring issue: it still wasn't the work I truly wanted to do.

This presented a dilemma: should I climb the ladder or roam the jungle of a less certain, more self-directed career path? My natural competitiveness — and an embarrassing desire to look successful — nagged at me. I was well positioned for the promotion. I was over 30 at a growing tech company. I worried, shouldn't I be a manager already?

Holding my dream job in one hand and the possibility of becoming a manager in the other, I called up a mentor. "I'm going to give you the most annoying advice," he told me. "Follow your heart." My shoulders slumped and I let out an audible sigh. Deep down, I knew his advice was right; I had to roam the jungle.

I opted out of the interview process and immediately plummeted into a world of uncertainty. While fear was present, so was relief: yes, facing uncertainty meant the possibility of failure, but also the chance for a new positive outcome.

This Week on Everyday Better 💡🎧

This week, I'm sharing an insightful conversation on navigating uncertainty between my colleague Jessi Hempel and bestselling author Suleika Jaouad.

After nearly a decade in remission, Suleika learned that her leukemia had returned. Confronted with profound uncertainty about her future, she turned to journaling as both a creative practice and a survival tool. Through writing, she reconnected with herself and found a shift in perspective that helped her move through fear and grief.

For Suleika, the antidote to uncertainty was presence — and journaling the tool that allowed her to do so.

Listening to her story reminded me of something the futurist, change navigator and author April Rinne once shared with me. In her book Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change, April shares eight tools for surviving uncertainty, challenging us to approach the unknown not with dread but with curiosity, agency and optimism.

These tools — or "superpowers" as April calls them — are a menu, not a syllabus. Pick the one that resonates with you most deeply, and start building your resilience from there. The more you use that muscle, the better you'll be at catching whatever curveball life throws at you next.

The Resiliency Toolkit: Eight 'Superpowers' for Coping with Uncertainty

1. Run Slower: To thrive in a fast-paced world, intentionally slow your pace.

2. See What’s Invisible: When life feels blurry or the future is uncertain, shift your focus from what’s visible to what’s invisible.

3. Get Lost: In the landscape of change, getting lost is how you find your way.

4. Start with Trust: Even when trust seems broken, assume good intent.

5. Know Your Enough: In a world relentlessly striving for more, define your "enough" and find abundance there.

6. Create Your Portfolio Career: Think of your career as a portfolio to curate rather than a singular path.

7. Be All The More Human (and Serve Other Humans): In an increasingly automated world, your humanity is your strength and a way to serve others.

8. Let Go of the Future: Letting go doesn't mean giving up. It's about releasing what you can't control to make space for our best selves to emerge.

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Read: Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change by April Rinne

Deepen Your Journaling Practice with Suleika's book, The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life

Watch: April Rinne's TEDxFrankfurt Talk How to Navigate Our Uncertain Future

📍 To hear more about how I navigate decision-making in uncertain moments, listen to my guide to the Ten Year Plan exercise.

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Everyday Better is LinkedIn News’ weekly personal development podcast hosted by Leah Smart, a LinkedIn News Editor. You’ll hear from some of the worlds brightest minds and bravest hearts about how to live with more clarity and intention every day, in and out of work. Subscribe to the show's newsletter.