Transposing emblem by Ahmed Samir

Our lives are teeming with uncertainties, whether in the field of professional work, raising children, social relations or elsewhere. The difficulty with uncertainty is that we do not know in advance what circumstances might occur when choosing an alternative, that is, we have no information about the likely possibilities for each alternative. In other words, the available information is minimal, making any prediction of the best results very challenging.

In the field of professional work, I seek to find a career that will let me achieve my goals and aspirations. I may move from one career to another if I am uncertain about whether this career is the one through which I can achieve my goals, even if I have gathered as much information as possible before starting a particular career. In addition, I will try to communicate with some people who practice the same profession and have real experience. I may even go beyond that and do my best to look for some specialized centers that offer courses for beginners who are interested in starting a particular career. I begin with courses that may address the theoretical and practical aspects in some detail. I try to study these aspects from an abstract point of view and follow the workshops with passion until my understanding is rounded out by absorbing the practical part that is most important.

Despite all these actions I may have taken before starting a career, I still face the risk of uncertainty. Is this the right profession or is there another profession that is more appropriate? Will I achieve my goals in this profession with my degree or is there something better? Is my career development rate the desired one or not? If I am now the best employee in my department who always gets the highest ratings in the periodic employee evaluations of the organization, will another employee come to outperform me and have a head start? Will the organization change the evaluation criteria one day or will it remain the same?

If I talk about raising my children, the risk of uncertainty continues to chase me. I analyze the personalities of my children to know what development programs will suit them. I monitor their behavior from time to time and then develop a program for behavioral evaluation that takes into account the individual differences and the actual environment in which they live. The program also includes the methods of reward and punishment to achieve the best results. I also seek to discover their talents and skills in various ways and then prepare a practical plan to develop these talents and skills as well as focusing on their way of thinking and the development of intelligence. I also concentrate on the health aspect in terms of cleanliness and nutrition to maintain a healthy body. I even encourage them to engage in useful sports with follow up from my side. Moreover, I’m interested in spending some time with them to develop their emotional side and build a positive relationship with them through which I can influence and guide them effectively. I also follow their progress in education and offer the necessary support. However, I still confront uncertainty. For example, I may face an emergency that prevents me from continuing to implement the program of behavioral evaluation or the plan to discover and develop talents and skills. This may also prevent me from implementing these programs and plans in an ideal way, which may result in my children’s failure to achieve the required goals. There may be changes in reality around us, and the plans may become impossible to reconcile with these changes, or my children may be not able to keep up with the requirements of the future.

In terms of social relations with others, there is also uncertainty. I make an effort to select my friends and seek to build strong and successful relationships with others whether they are friends, relatives or other members of society at large. To build these strong and successful relationships, I adopt multiple methods. I make others feel that they are important by offering them courtesy and focusing on their positive aspects. I also pick the right words for everyone and treat them gently. I do my best to be patient with opinions and ideas that I disagree with and accept others so that they feel relaxed when talking with me. And to reach the hearts of others, I use fun and optimism so that they come to me when they have a need and want my companionship. I am careful not to talk about myself unless the other side asks me to do so and I do not impose myself or my ideas on others. I also offer advice to others in a confidential and gentle manner that does not embarrass them.

However, it is obvious that social relations are closely tied to the other party. If we assume that those who seek to build successful social relations have taken all possible steps to ensure that they achieve this, there is no guarantee for the other party or that they will be able to maintain, enhance, improve and strengthen this relationship. Hence, there is a threat of uncertainty.

To summarize, it is difficult to overcome uncertainty because it is often related to future variables that we cannot accurately identify. A practical solution is to try to reduce the negative effects of uncertainty as much as possible through strategic planning that takes into account all the variables and incorporates continuously updated data so that all the developments are studied. Great importance should also be attached to the collection of information from multiple sources. Finally, the most likely outcome should be determined by examining each possibility and preparing the right solutions in advance.