The video addresses the compelling idea of embracing life's uncertainties and living with unanswered questions. It challenges viewers to reconsider their desire for a predictable life and argues that the excitement of life's mysteries makes each day worth living. The speaker shares personal experiences to illustrate how uncertainty has been an integral and transformative force in their life, urging others to see it as a positive influence rather than something to fear.

Through a personal narrative, the speaker recounts hardships faced during their childhood in Montenegro amid civil unrest. They describe how these uncertain times, followed by immigration challenges in Sweden and later successes in the United States, cultivated resilience, adaptability, and an appreciation for uncertainty. The speaker emphasizes that embracing the unknown led to personal growth and new opportunities, showing that uncertainty is not just an obstacle but an invitation to explore potential.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. consciousness [ˈkɒnʃəsnəs] - (noun) - The state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings and thoughts. - Synonyms: (awareness, perception, cognizance)

We don't know how we got here, what consciousness truly is, or what happens after we die.

2. manifesting [ˈmænɪˌfɛstɪŋ] - (verb) - Displaying or showing a particular quality or feeling visibly. - Synonyms: (displaying, demonstrating, exhibiting)

I wouldn't be standing on this stage today, manifesting my purpose.

3. anarchy [ˈænəˌki] - (noun) - A state of disorder due to the absence or non-recognition of authority or control. - Synonyms: (lawlessness, chaos, disorder)

It's a state of total anarchy.

4. intuition [ˌɪntuˈɪʃən] - (noun) - The ability to understand or know something immediately, without conscious reasoning. - Synonyms: (instinct, insight, sixth sense)

But on faith, on her gut, her intuition, this deep, absolute knowing without really knowing.

5. triumphs [ˈtraɪəmfs] - (noun) - Great victories or achievements. - Synonyms: (victories, successes, conquests)

My journey was filled with triumphs and setbacks.

6. resilience [rɪˈzɪlɪəns] - (noun) - The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. - Synonyms: (perseverance, endurance, toughness)

I wouldn't have my incredible family and I would not have developed qualities such as courage, resilience and adaptability

7. opportunities [ˌɒpərˈtunɪtiz] - (noun) - Favorable circumstances or conditions for a particular action or endeavor. - Synonyms: (chances, prospects, openings)

I was hungry for new challenges, and at 24, I moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue bodybuilding, fitness modeling and new business opportunities

8. predictable [prɪˈdɪktəbl] - (adjective) - Able to be foretold or declared in advance. - Synonyms: (foreseeable, expected, certain)

The speaker shares personal experiences to illustrate how uncertainty has been an integral and transformative force in their life.

9. ambiguous [æmˈbɪɡjuəs] - (adjective) - Open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning. - Synonyms: (unclear, vague, uncertain)

Would you really want to know?

10. spiritual [ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl] - (adjective) - Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material things. - Synonyms: (non-material, metaphysical, ethereal)

We strive to leave a mark through our work, our offspring, our legacy, or joining spiritual and religious belief systems.

How I turned uncertainty into opportunity - Binais Begović - TEDxCoral Springs

Have you guys ever wondered how much we actually know about life? We don't know how we got here, what consciousness truly is, or what happens after we die. It's like life is this huge, uncertain mystery that we're all trying to figure out and control. But what if life isn't about finding all the answers, but learning to live with the questions? What if the true meaning of life is in embracing the uncertainty of those questions rather than avoiding them? Think about this. If you could see your future laid out perfectly in front of you, would you really want to know? Or is it the mystery that makes life worth living? Would you be excited to wake up every morning if you knew exactly how your day would unfold? We spend so much of our lives trying to avoid uncertainty, and yet it's the one thing that can truly transform us.

I have faced war, displacement, and starting over in two foreign lands, all without knowing of what would come next. And through it all, I've learned that uncertainty is one of the most powerful forces in life. And every great story starts with a moment of uncertainty, a step into the unknown. And today, I want to share why I've come to love uncertainty and how it can be a powerful force for good in our lives.

So my first real confrontation with uncertainty came in the summer of 1991. I was nine years old. I was living in Montenegro, which at the time was part of Yugoslavia. My early life was simple. It was peaceful and full of the kind of certainty that only a small village on a farm could provide. I was carefree. I was playing with my younger brother and our farm animals. I remember lying in the grass, staring up at airplanes, wondering what it would feel like to fly, where all of those people were going and what their lives were like. My world was small, but my imagination was huge. And little did I know that life was about to give me more than I could have ever imagined.

One day, everything changed as an ugly civil war erupted. Our world shifted from security to chaos and uncertainty. Almost overnight, the adults that I looked to for reassurance were just as lost and scared as I was. Their ability to protect us had been stripped away. I was lonely, anxious, and terrified. I looked up at the sky again, but this time, instead of airplanes, I saw fighter jets. My world had become a place of chaos, uncertainty, and change. I felt I had nothing. Yet looking back, I realized that this feeling of nothingness was actually everything.

Had I not been forced into this chaos and uncertainty, I wouldn't be who I am today. Without the despair, I might never have left a small village In Montenegro, I wouldn't be standing on this stage today, manifesting my purpose. I wouldn't have my incredible family and I would not have developed qualities such as courage, resilience and adaptability. Uncertainty and change are not our enemies, they are our friends, if approached the right way.

I'm not sure how much you know how familiar you are with civil wars. Let me tell you, they're ugly. Let's pray and hope it never happens. Here in this country, neighbors turn against each other over differences in religion, politics, or simply because of deep seated hate. There is no. It's a state of total anarchy. There is no safe space, no way out, no certainty and no sense of control. My family and I moved to a safer town, but the uncertainty followed us. I found my sense of strength and control in school and becoming a national champion in judo. But as another conflict loomed in the region, we made a bold decision to leave the country for good.

So at 16, we moved to Sweden. In this new world, I faced the unknown, without language, without resources and uncertainty. But I embraced a challenge. I learned Swedish, I earned a scholarship, and I continued with Judah practice. But life threw another curveball. Our political asylum was rejected and once again the rug was pulled out from under us, leaving us with nothing but uncertainty. At 18, I fought the immigration system and won, securing permanent residency. At 22, I won my first bodybuilding competition and I started my first company.

I was driven by a desire to turn uncertainty into opportunity. But I wasn't done. I was hungry for new challenges, and at 24, I moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue bodybuilding, fitness modeling and new business opportunities. I won a contest. I graced the COVID of Ironman magazine, my first of many, before later actually purchasing, developing and selling the very same magazine. My journey was filled with triumphs and setbacks, but each step into the unknown led me to more growth, more resilience and new opportunities.

So what is uncertainty? What is its essence, the nature of it? We all try to control aspects of our lives, to create a sense of control in an inherently chaotic world. For us humans, death is the ultimate uncertainty. It's a topic many prefer to avoid. Instead, we strive to leave a mark through our work, our offspring, our legacy, or joining spiritual and religious belief systems that offer comfort and explanations for what lies beyond.

But life can be compared to carving our names in melting ice. No matter how carefully we carve, the ice inevitably melts and the name fades away. This metaphor captures the essence of our human existence. Life is fleeting and nothing is guaranteed to last forever. Studies show that when faced with uncertainty, people often choose to stick with the status quo, even if change might lead to better outcomes. The unknown is a huge source of anxiety and worry for many. Like moving to a new town, getting a new job, starting a new school, starting family, having kids, financial crises, global conflicts, pandemics.

Uncertainty triggers a survival response. It leads our minds to imagine worst case scenarios. But what if instead of fearing this impermanence, we embrace it instead? What if we saw uncertainty not as a threat to our efforts, but as an invitation to live fully in the moment, to carve our names in the eyes not for the sake of permanence, but for the joy of the act itself. By embracing uncertainty, we find the freedom to live purposefully, to create, and to discover who we truly are.

Reflecting on my life, I've come to realize that every moment of uncertainty has been an opportunity, a blessing in disguise. From moving to Sweden to becoming a professional athlete, starting a new life in the us, starting multiple companies, getting married, becoming a parent. Each time I face the unknown not with fear, but with courage and with trust that it would lead to something better. And it did. My daughter is 12 and last year she started middle school and it was really scary and terrifying.

For her, everything was new and change and uncertainty was painful. But she grew stronger, more resilient and confident. And this year she started seventh grade and I asked her if she would prefer to go back to the fifth grade. She said, no way. I love where I am. Change is hard, but rarely do I meet anyone who wishes to return once new territory is charted. So what about certainty? Do we even need it? I want to get a little bit personal and romantic now at 26 and I'm 42 now by the way.

For those of you wondering, at 26, only two years after moving to LA, I met the love of my life and the woman who would help me redefined my understanding of uncertainty. It wasn't just a love at first sight. It felt destined, like a divine connection. On the outside, we seem like an improbable match. Different culture, religion, race, educational backgrounds, even an age gap. On paper, nothing about us should have worked. Yet our love felt flawless. It was perfect. We were engaged within six months, married within a year, and still going strong after 14 years.

So standing at the altar, I felt a fear I had not felt before. I didn't run away. It wasn't the fear of the unknown. I was good at that. It was a fear of letting this incredible woman down. It was the biggest commitment I was about to make and the things I was going to say the promises. It wasn't just words. For me. It meant something. It was sacred. So anyway, standing there, I looked at her and I saw no fear in her eyes, only calm and certainty. And I asked her later, how did you remain so calm? And she said, I have faith in us.

Our love is the one thing I know is real. And that hit me. Here was a woman, a surgeon, Ivy League graduate, who made all of her decisions based on facts and evidence. But in this life changing moment, she wasn't relying on data or science, but on faith, on her gut, her intuition, this deep, absolute knowing without really knowing. And this was the type of certainty I'd been searching for in my life. And in life's grand uncertainty, we all need something to anchor us. For me, it's my love and it's my purpose. For you, it might be something else. Maybe it's your values, maybe it's your love, maybe it's your purpose, maybe your higher power. But whatever it is, as long as you have that one element of certainty in your life, you got nothing to fear, nothing to worry.

So what about uncertainty and success? I'm going to talk to you about that. The fun part, the key to success isn't just hard work, grit, or talent. It's how we respond to uncertainty and how we build resilience through challenges. As Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, said, unfortunately, resilience matters in success. I don't know how to teach it to you, except for I hope suffering happens to you, end of quote. And this captures the essence of or. This really tells us what's important in success, and that's resilience, its challenges, its courage, and its uncertainty.

Let's reflect on this for a little bit. None of us will be here today, none of us without the Founding Fathers taking the bold risks to go against a tyrannical government. Had their coup failed, they would have been hanged as traitors. Instead, they became founding fathers of this country and heroes. Great innovations like airplanes, the Internet, smartphones, open heart surgeries came from those who embraced uncertainty and who took risks that others would shy away from. And when it comes to success, there is a moment in every challenge where you don't know if you will succeed or fail. And that's, that's what defines you.

So how can we invite more uncertainty and this hidden opportunity in disguise into our lives? So to embrace uncertainty, we must build resilience. Think of it like training a muscle. You start small and you gradually expose yourself to more. It's all about balance and not about recklessness. Like a beginner surfer, you start with smaller waves, not 30 foot monsters. But you don't hold fear, hold you back. You understand the risks, you know your limits, and you take action anyways. And each time you face the unknown, you ask yourself, what's possible here? What can I learn? How can I grow from this?

When worry and anxiety creep in, you focus on what you can control. Your actions, your responses and your attitude. And instead of fixating on worst case scenarios, visualize the positive outcomes. On the practical side, start small. Make random, low stakes decisions, like choosing a restaurant without reading Yelp or Google reviews. Watching a movie without watching a trailer. Change up your routine. Take a different route to work. Try a new workout. Rearrange your space, these small shifts that help you adapt.

And finally push yourself into new experiences. Try something that really scares you. And learn something that is really hard to learn. Each deliberate step strengthens your ability to manage uncertainty and builds resilience. And here are some final thoughts. What lies ahead is not set in stone. And that's the beauty of it. You have the power to write your story one uncertain step at a time. So the next time you find yourself standing at the edge of the unknown, don't step back. Take a deep breath. Take that leap. And trust that the wings you need will appear. And let's not strive for control. Let's strive for courage. Because in the end, it's not a certainty of our path, but a strength of our heart that leads us home.

Trust the journey. Trust yourself. Thank you all for listening. It's been an honor. Thank you.

Philosophy, Resilience, Inspiration, Global, Motivation, Personal Growth, Tedx Talks