Do you find it difficult to make decisions?
You aren’t alone. A lot of people do. And one thing I’ve noticed over the years in working with organisations and with individuals, and also in just general day-to-day dealings with people, is that people seem to struggle when they are presented with different options.
If they are presented with Option A or Option B, they can’t seem to make up their minds. There’s an assessment done – sometimes consciously but often unconsciously – of the impacts of those options. Unfortunately, the assessment tends to focus only on the negatives.
What if I get it wrong? What if it doesn’t work? What will I be losing? What won’t I be able to do anymore? “They” won’t like my decision. This will be uncomfortable. And on and on it goes.
So, they don’t choose. They do nothing.
Doing nothing is an Option. It is Option C. And when you make a decision to select Option C, it too has its own consequences. The most likely consequence is that you will get to experience more of the same.
Now, that’s fine if you are OK with the same. But if you want something different, then Option C won’t cut it.
Option C is what I call “default”. It’s what happens when you don’t actively make a decision on the other options laid out in front of you. It leaves things open to current circumstances, external events or other people’s preferences or decisions.
The point is, even deciding not to choose something else is still a decision and it’s a decision that will have consequences.
As Ezra Taft Benson said: You are free to make whatever choice you want, but you are not free from the consequences of the choice.
So, when you have the opportunity to choose something different for your life, just remember, that “do nothing” is still a decision. It’s a valid option, but that choice will also have its own consequences.
