Principles of Behavior – Tolerate Ambiguity. Learn to Live in the Grey

Clarity is often elusive. It’s tempting to want everything to be clear-cut, black and white, a win or a loss, success or failure, right or wrong. But the truth is, much of what we experience exists in shades of grey.

Was it a tap, or just a flinch?

A clean sweep, or a lucky scramble?

Did you win, or just last longer?

Clarity takes time. Progress is messy. Success is rarely obvious. Sometimes a technique fails, or maybe it just isn’t ready yet. Sometimes you’re tired, they’re fresh, and it’s hard to tell what happened.

That’s okay. Embrace the Uncertainty

The mind craves certainty, but the art isn’t black and white; it’s layered, nuanced, unpredictable. Not every roll makes sense. Not every round offers a clear lesson. That doesn’t mean you’re lost.

A technique may be flawless in practice, but fall apart in sparring. You might feel stuck for weeks, but unseen groundwork is silently setting the stage for a breakthrough.

The Grey is Where Growth Lives

Progress is messy and nonlinear. It’s where resilience is built, and humility and patience are your closest allies. Tolerating ambiguity means becoming comfortable with not knowing and trusting the process without needing to control or fully understand it.

Keep Moving, Keep Questioning

The path to mastery isn’t a straight line; it’s a winding journey full of uncertainty and experimentation. Keep showing up, even when progress feels invisible. Keep experimenting, even if the results are inconsistent. Keep asking questions, even when answers seem out of reach.

This mindset fuels curiosity, fosters humility, and keeps you moving; a reminder that there’s always more to learn, and no reason to stay stuck in frustration or doubt.

In the End…

The grey isn’t a problem to solve, it’s a space to inhabit. Growth lives in the tension between knowing and not knowing. Progress comes when you lean into uncertainty.

When clarity fades and the line between success and failure blurs, remember: you’re not lost, you’re right where you need to be, deep in the process of becoming.

Stay curious. Stay humble. Stay in motion.