A lot seems to change when you make a decision. I recently read a book called The Paradox of Choice that talked about how we are faced with so many more choices and options today than in the past. This can lead to decision fatigue. The author, Barry Schwartz, suggested that if we make an irreversible decision, we actually have less regret down the track. If we always have the option to back out or change our mind, we will always be comparing the decision we made with the alternative that we didn’t choose.

This morning I was reading The Alchemist. This book also talks about making decisions. An Old King suggests the boy sell his flock of sheep in order to buy a ticket to Egypt in order to search for treasure. I haven’t finished the book yet so I don’t know if he finds it or not, but the act of finally making the decision allowed him to take action and move forward.

Later in the book, we see this quote:

“When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision”.

So, whilst it is important to weigh up the pros and cons and the possible outcomes of each option, we often can’t accurately predict everything that will unfold as a result of the decision. Sometimes we just need to pull the trigger and decide. Sometimes we just need to dive into that strong current and let it carry us to new places.

So go on, stop thinking about it… Make the decision.