There’s this strange phase every creator, founder, or builder hits — the 3 AM phase.
You’re working on something nobody asked for, that doesn’t even exist yet, and the only proof you have is this loud quiet voice inside your chest that keeps saying,
“Keep going. You’re not wrong.”
It’s not logic.
It’s not validation.
It’s not even confidence — it’s something deeper.
It’s called conviction.
And yes — there’s actual psychology behind it.
🧠 The Science of That Feeling
In a 2017 study published in Theory & Psychology, researchers Tuckett & Nikolić explored how people make decisions when there’s no data, no predictable outcome, and no way to calculate the odds — what they call radical uncertainty.
(Tuckett & Nikolić, 2017 – The Role of Conviction and Narrative in Decision-Making Under Radical Uncertainty
They found that under such uncertainty, people don’t rely on facts — they rely on narratives.
They build mental stories that connect their hopes, fears, and beliefs until something feels emotionally right.
That emotional “rightness” becomes conviction — a psychological anchor that allows them to move, act, and build even when everything is unknown.
It’s that weird certainty in your chest that tells you, “This is it.”
And according to Tuckett, that feeling is what keeps humans from freezing in uncertainty. It’s not delusion — it’s the emotional energy that powers innovation.
⚡ The Role of Self-Belief
A more recent study by Markowska & Wiklund (2020) linked this idea of conviction with something called self-efficacy — basically, the belief that “I can figure it out.”
(Markowska & Wiklund, 2020 – Entrepreneurial Learning Under Uncertainty: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Perceived Complexity)
They found that people who have strong self-efficacy don’t necessarily feel certain about the outcome — they feel certain about themselves.
That belief acts as a stabilizer.
Even when everything is unclear, it converts chaos into manageable action.
So when you keep pushing an idea that doesn’t have proof yet, you’re not being stubborn — you’re operating from a psychological mechanism that researchers say is essential for progress.
🔮 Intuition Isn’t Random
And then there’s intuition — that silent pull that tells you you’re onto something.
A study by Haynie, Shepherd & Patzelt (2012) on entrepreneurial intuition found that this “gut certainty” isn’t luck or magic.
(Haynie et al., 2012 – Cognitive Adaptability and Intuition in Entrepreneurial Decision Making Under Uncertainty)
It happens when your brain has quietly processed layers of past experience and pattern recognition in the background.
That whisper saying “this idea feels right” is your subconscious connecting dots you didn’t consciously see.
So, intuition is not baseless emotion — it’s the wisdom of your past experiences surfacing as conviction.
My point of view
Three years into building Jazaab by Jia, I’ve realized this “weird certainty” we talk about — it’s real.
It’s not motivational fluff. It’s the only thing that keeps you moving when the world doesn’t get what you’re trying to build.
I was raised watching how fabric runs the local economy — how Pakistan’s textile industry powers the world’s biggest brands.
Yet, the creativity, the soul, the craftsmanship of our people?
That often never gets seen.
Somewhere between that realization and frustration, I decided I would build something that mattered — a circular fashion brand born out of leftovers, built against the noise of fast fashion.
And maybe this conviction started even earlier.
With a father who once thought I didn’t even need to study, I grew up quietly building my own belief — not just that I’ll study, but that I’ll prove myself without climbing anyone’s corporate ladder.
I’ll do it on my own terms.
That’s where certainty lives.
Not in data, not in validation — but in the part of your heart that says, “I’m made for this.”
Every decision I’ve made for Jazaab, every risk, every delay, came from that same feeling.
You don’t need everyone’s approval.
You just need that one steady signal in your chest.
That’s your compass.
Trust it.