Hoyt Hilsman

The Power of Uncertainty Hoyt Hilsman

Publisher Marketing: We've all experienced times of great uncertainty. A health crisis. A rocky marriage. A stressful job. And these crises can tap into our deepest fears of the uncertain, the unknowable, the unforeseen. How do we respond? Because uncertainty is so painful, we too often seek the quickest resolution of that pain. We flee from the unhappy marriage. Quit the job. Try to escape through denial or addiction. Or, hungering for simple solutions, we bury our heads in the sands of fixed and rigid certainty. We cling to dogma, science, prejudice. Put our trust in gurus, unyielding political beliefs or divisive ideologies. But there is another way. In the Oscar-winning movie Steel Magnolias, Julia Roberts' character faces wrenching uncertainty as she must decide whether to have a baby and put her own life at risk. As she takes a dangerous leap into the unknown, she says, "I'd rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." Embracing uncertainty--rather than seeking to banish or ignore it---is in fact the only way to utilize its power. To mine its vast potential as a source of creativity, authenticity, and personal and professional growth. Which is what this book is all about. In The Power of Uncertainty, authors Hoyt Hilsman (author, political commentator and former Congressional candidate) and Dennis Palumbo (noted psychotherapist, author, and former screenwriter) argue that fear and uncertainty are, in fact, the wellsprings of positive change. Rather than trying to banish fear and doubt, or struggle against the reality of uncertainty, we should view uncertainty -- and our own fears---as a part of the normal state of nature, and of human life and society. As this ground-breaking book shows, it's only by embracing the power of uncertainty that we can open doors to a world of greater creativity, accomplishment and fulfillment, both as individuals and as a society. Contributor Bio:  Hilsman, Hoyt HOYT HILSMAN is an award-winning writer, journalist and critic, and a former candidate for Congress in California. He has written screenplays for a number of studios and television networks, including Disney, Sony, New Line, ABC, NBC and CBS, and his stage plays and musicals have been produced in theaters around the country and abroad, and have won numerous awards. His television script, Foggy Bottom, based on his childhood in Washington, was honored at the Slamdance Festival in Park City, Utah. Mr. Hilsman has been a regular critic for Daily Variety, former President of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, and chair of the PEN West drama awards. He has also directed stage plays and has written, produced and directed several independent films and television series. Contributor Bio:  Palumbo, Dennis Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter, Dennis Palumbo is now a licensed psychotherapist in private practice. He s the author of a mystery collection, From Crime to Crime, and his short ction has appeared in Ellery Queen s Mystery Magazine, The Strand, and elsewhere. Phantom Limb is the fourth in the Daniel Rinaldi series. www.dennispalumbo.com