As Rich Litvin reminded me today, not deciding drains you of energy.
The reason we’re sometimes scared to make a decision is that we eliminate options when we do.
There’s no more open choice, no more time to reflect at our leisure, and no more binary consequences.
In fact, the very word “decide” contains the same root as “homicide”, except we’re killing off our options rather than killing somebody who got on our nerves.
And not deciding has consequences too. If we don’t decide:
- Whether to take on a coach, we stay exactly where we are even if we yearn for change
- Whether to accept an event invitation, the event happens without us, even if that hurts
- Whether to propose/accept a marriage invitation, our partner could go with someone more decisive
“Not deciding” is about the fear of getting it wrong, something we couldn’t possibly know without making the decision.
One way or the other.
Jonny
PS: Did you register for the Persuasive Writing Workshop on the 22nd November yet? It’s my birthday, so it’s FREE!