Life
in conversation
with tama kieves
author of
“thriving through uncertainty”
what inspired you to write
‘thriving through
uncertainty”?
I’m a career and success coach and I’ve seen that
the real reason people aren’t living the life of their
dreams is because they don’t know how to handle
uncertainty. They feel nervous or weaker and
then they make smaller choices or back down
from what they really want and what would,
actually, make them safer in the long run. Believe
me, I know how hard it is to face uncertainty or
change. I made a huge career shift. Years ago,
I left a corporate law firm. I’d graduated from
Harvard Law School with honors. And I walked
out of everything without a plan or money. I just
had the desire to write and to find another career
expression in my life. I almost gave up a thousand
times because of the uncertainty. But, I would
have missed living my greatest dreams if I’d done
that. I don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity
to live a life that means the world to them.
Whether it’s a career change, a divorce, a health
issue, or anything else, I want to help people find
a way to thrive through uncertainty and discover
strength, opportunities, and freedom they never
knew they had.
what are some things that
we can do to overcome our
fear of risk?
Start telling yourself a different story. You’re
not afraid of uncertainty. You’re afraid of your
certainty. You’re certain, you’ll fail, you’ll, starve,
you won’t meet the love of your life. But that’s
your fear talking. Start telling a new story.
Start reminding yourself that it’s safer to go in
the direction of your desires. Where you feel
moved, you can move mountains. Passion is
security. Because it’s not safe to stay where you
really don’t want to be. It’s a slow but certain
death like hypothermia. Always bet on the sure
thing. the sure thing is doing something you
love—or something that’s meaningful to you.
So do something you love, because you’ll gain
strength, new brain chemistry, passion, and
clarity. Take one tiny step toward what you love.
And tell yourself a new story. Start building a
new relationship with yourself where you fight
for yourself instead of against yourself. The
moment you start trusting yourself, you will
know what to do.
what can we do when
we feel too paralyzed or
unmotivated to pursue our
dreams?
Stop trying to plan it or figure out every single
detail. (You can’t plan an inspired life!) The
life of thriving through uncertainty is all
about taking next steps. You’re paralyzed
because you want a guarantee before you take
a step. But taking the step is your guarantee.
Showing up feels good. It activates new
brain chemistry. When you start showing up
for your life, life starts showing up for you.
how can we find direction
when we don’t know what
we want?
You have to stop figuring it out--- and start
letting it out. It’s an act of love to start listening
to yourself. Sometimes you don’t know what you
want, because you’re denying what you really
want. I knew I wanted to write. But I kept saying
26 WomanToWomanMagazine.com