You are a decision-making machine. Even if you have a fear of making decisions.
Research shows that we make an average of 35,000 decisions every day.
Whether the actual number is correct doesn’t matter, but we can agree that that’s a LOT of decisions.
While many of them are no-brainers, other decisions can be very hard to make and so you’re scared of making a mistake.
Never thinking how much your inaction is costing you.
You get stuck because you want to make the “right choice”…
But most decisions don’t have a perfectly obvious answer. They tend to be messy and complex.
They involve risks, grey zones, and trade-offs.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t freak out about potentially disastrous outcomes.
Know this: most decisions can be undone
The fear of making decisions for what it can cost you
It can cost you time and money, be embarrassing, or upset your parents.
But in most cases, you’re never really stuck with the decision you made.
And that’s a relief because you can’t know if a decision is good or bad until you actually commit to a choice.
So if you find out that your choice doesn’t work for you, you can still change it.
Mistakes are not the end of the world. This takes a lot of pressure off, don’t you think?
We tend to take ourselves way too seriously and paint nightmarish pictures in our minds should we get it wrong.
That’s because we assign too much importance to this one decision.
Ever felt like you might end up homeless if you say “no” to working overtime or if you quit that job you hate?
Or that a wrong color choice will determine your certain doom?
For most questions, your decision is not that big of a deal and you can almost always adjust it later.
Most decisions are not as permanent as they seem.
Don’t get stuck in perfectionism. You can redecide.
So this right or wrong concept that traps you in your fear of making decisions is way too strict.
You try to make the best decision based on the information you have. That’s why hindsight is biased…
Once you pick an option, you get new information you couldn’t have known before you made your decision.
This tricks you into thinking that you should have known better.
“Not making a decision is actually a decision. It’s the decision to stay the same” – Lysa TerKeurst
Not deciding is a choice
When you feel like you can’t decide, you actually decide not to do anything.
Doesn’t this feel more empowering than thinking your fear of making decisions is running your life?
And if it doesn’t, at least this will push you to finally make a choice so you can change your situation.
So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how easily do you usually make decisions?
1 = “I completely suck” and 10 =”No problem”.
If you’d like your number to be higher, you need to ask yourself the right questions.
What do you think will happen if you decide “wrong”?
Put all the terrible things you can think of on paper.
Now, take a close look at your list of doom. And think about what options you’d have if you did make the worst choice ever.
The real repercussions are probably not as bad as you think and you’d find several ways to readjust.
Again, there may be sunk cost, inconvenience, and embarrassment. Maybe even a lot.
Sunk costs are often about money, but also include time, energy or pain you’ve invested so far and they influence your decisions.
You want to prove to yourself (and others) that you’re not wasteful.
I’m not pretending that it won’t suck to undo your decision. But it’s all worth it if your initial choice makes you miserable.
Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.
Remember, whatever you’ve invested is gone anyway.
So the powerful idea here is also a very simple one. But it’s often overlooked when you’re freaking out about picking the wrong choice.
Most decisions are not as fatal and permanent as you believe.
You can redecide and adjust your choice!
So relax. Even big decisions can be undone if they don’t work out for you.
You can get the life you want.
I hope this helps you let go of your fear of making decisions.
Happy decision-making and have a great week,
PS: If you like daily inspirational quotes and helpful tips, check out Learning Ninja on Instagram
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