Fear of the Unknown
For anyone standing at the edge of a change, with no idea what is on the other side.
Fear of the unknown is the anxiety you feel when you cannot predict what will happen next. To handle it, separate what you know from what you are imagining, plan for the realistic worst case, take a small step to gather real information and remind yourself of the hard things you have already handled. Real security is not knowing what will happen. It is trusting yourself to handle what does.
When I left a stable leadership role at a company I loved to help run a startup, I gave up a known world for an unknown one. The old company was a well-oiled machine. The startup had no real systems and no clear playbook.
There were no guarantees. There were days when I felt like I was learning an entirely new job every week. Later, I went through an acquisition, with its own uncertainty and the difficult choice to cut duplicate roles.
Real security is not knowing what will happen. It is trusting yourself to handle what does.
Uncertainty can be harder on us than bad news. In a study at University College London led by Archy de Berker, people were more stressed when they did not know whether they would get a mild electric shock than when they knew for sure that they would.
Obstacles don’t block the path. Obstacles are the path.
Six ways to move forward when you cannot see what is next
Separate facts from stories
Draw two columns. On one side, what you actually know. On the other, what you are guessing. Most of the fear usually lives in the second column.
Plan for the realistic worst case
Ask: what is the most likely bad outcome, not the most dramatic one? Then write what you would do if it happened. A plan shrinks a fear.
Take a small step to learn more
Have the conversation, take the class, visit the place, try it for a month. Small actions turn guesses into information.
Remember what you have already survived
You have already handled every hard day you have had. List three times you faced something uncertain and got through it.
Focus on what you control
You cannot control how the unknown unfolds. You can control how you prepare and how you respond.
Expect discomfort and keep going
Comfort, fear, learning, growth. That is the usual order. Feeling fear does not mean you are on the wrong path. It often means you are on the right one.
The unknown is rarely as bad
as the version your mind creates.
Why are we so afraid of the unknown?
Our brains are built to predict what is coming so we can stay safe. When they cannot, they fill the gap with worst-case guesses. That served our ancestors well. In modern life, it often keeps us in jobs, habits and situations we have outgrown.
Related reading: Security Is an Illusion, How to Make a Big Decision When You Are Scared and Fear or Purpose.
Common questions
What is fear of the unknown?
Fear of the unknown is the anxiety you feel when you cannot predict what will happen next, such as during a career change, a move or a big decision.
How do I overcome fear of the unknown?
Separate facts from imagined outcomes, plan for the realistic worst case, take small steps to gather real information and remind yourself of hard things you have already handled.
Why is uncertainty so stressful?
Research at University College London found people were more stressed when they did not know whether something unpleasant would happen than when they knew it would.
Is fear of the unknown normal?
Yes. Some researchers consider it one of the most basic human fears. It becomes a problem when it keeps you from changes you want to make.
Separate facts from stories, plan for the realistic worst case and take a small step. Trust yourself to handle what comes.
You Are Capable
of More.
Ten principles for becoming the person you know you are capable of being, built from real stories of people who doubted themselves and did it anyway. Winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival.
When I’ve got something worth sending.
Just a story or an idea I picked up that I think will help you.
Sometimes that’s twice in a month. Sometimes it’s not for a while.