Truth or Certainty, what are you offering?

If dentistry had a Turner prize I know who I’d nominate.

I’m lucky enough to have some exceptional practitioners in my life. One is my dentist, Mr Gaffapur. I’m endlessly impressed that his injections, fillings even the crown he’s given me are done with such care that there is never any pain or discomfort. My memory of dentists before him was that, invariably, there would be some pain, some discomfort. No more. He is an artist and teeth are his canvas.

Another is Gary, he’s an acupuncturist and has been treating a knee injury I acquired. There is some discomfort when I see Gary – but it’s the good kind. The ache that shows something is shifting. His artistry is in divining the root cause of an injury and treating that back to the problem area. I hobble into his office and after an hour of being needled I leave moving freely. His work is so powerful, I usually take a sleep soon after or sleep heavily that night.

Beyond being excellent at what they do, what these different practitioners have in common is humility. Not false modesty but that they hold their expertise lightly and stay curious about whether they're right.

Both will say “the expectation is ‘A’, the possibility is ‘B’ and if ‘C’ happens, phone me”. So far, I’ve only had the expected outcome (or better) but should options B, C, D or E happen, I know they’ll be open and curious about what else could work.

It’s easy to think that naming what might go wrong and admitting the outcome isn't guaranteed, somehow chips away at our authority. Real experts are confident to show you where the uncertainty lies. And that confidence is contagious.

If you only let yourself be seen as certain, people around you stop bringing the tricky things you can’t know.

Are you choosing certainty or admitting to yourself what's actually true?

Truth or Certainty, what are you offering?