The Invisible Backpack; What worries do you carry that no one else sees?
Feb 13, 2026
Written By Bart Berkey | Most People Don't
Most People Don’t See the Backpack
This week, at a conference where I was speaking, I watched a company pause and ask its people a powerful question:
“In one word, how do you feel about 2026?”
The screen began to fill.
Opportunity. Concern. Change. Growth.
But the largest word?
UNCERTAINTY
And it wasn’t even close. I didn’t judge it.
Because uncertainty feels real right now.
The economy. The headlines. The pace of change.
The expectations. The pressure to perform.
But what struck me wasn’t the word itself.
It was the weight behind it.
Later that week for another conference, I did an exercise I call "The Invisible Backpack."
I asked everyone to write down something they’re carrying that no one else can see. What are their worries, concerns, fears that weigh heavy on their backs and shoulders? (Especially the ones that they don't talk about or share.)
No names. Just honesty and vulnerability.
We collected the cards and placed them into a clear backpack.
Then I sat down on stage and began reading a few outloud.
“I’m afraid I’m going to lose my job.”
“I worry about my aging parents.”
“I feel like an imposter.”
“I’m exhausted.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I never hear that I’m doing great.”
Uncertainty suddenly wasn’t about markets. It was about what people are carrying.
My conclusion:
Uncertainty isn’t just external. It’s personal.
It’s the quiet fear you don’t say out loud.
It’s the pressure to perform.
It’s the comparison game.
It’s wondering if you’re enough.
And every single person you interact with is wearing that invisible backpack.
The distracted employee.
The intense leader.
The short email.
The quiet spouse.
The overwhelmed parent.
Their Backpack.
And here’s the part we forget:
You’re wearing one too.
We can’t eliminate uncertainty.
But we can choose how we respond to it.
We can harden…
or we can soften.
We can spiral inward…
or we can Notice, Anticipate, and Overdeliver outward.
When we focus only on our own uncertainty, it gets heavier.
When we start noticing what others are carrying, something shifts.
Helping someone else lightens your own load.
Encouraging someone else steadies your own footing.
Telling someone, “You’re doing great,” might be the one thing that changes their entire week.
Uncertainty will always exist.
But compassion can coexist with it.
Grace can coexist with it.
Leadership can coexist with it.
Most People Don’t slow down long enough to see the weight others are carrying.
But YOU do.
And when you do…
Uncertainty doesn’t disappear.
It just doesn’t control you anymore.
— Bart
