Decisions

This week’s Mental Sunshine is something you might not think of as being something that can make you more happy –

However, I’m willing to bet it can!

This week we’re talking about making decisions…

Some people find it really easy to make decisions.

They decide what to have for lunch

What to do this weekend

Where to go on holiday this summer

What to name their first child

All at the drop of a hat…

Like it’s no big deal.

For others, even deciding which coffee to order can be really difficult.

And when there’s a difficult decision to be made, I think a lot of us can find that really hard.

I really enjoyed this video of Dr Ellen Langer talking about making decisions.

The basic gist of it is this: there’s no point in deliberating over a decision.

Because once it’s made, you can never know if the opposite decision would have been better

it might well have been worse!!!

Whatever it is you need to decide on – just bite the bullet and make the decision.

Flip a coin if it makes it easier

Now, I’m not suggesting you should make rash, irresponsible decisions on the flip of a coin (see P.S. below)

No quitting your job to go and be a goat herder this week please!

What I’m saying is: if you have all the relevant information and you’re just struggling to make up your mind….

Just plump for one of them, and get on with your life!

It feels incredibly freeing to be on the other side of that big decision that’s been weighing you down – to know you’ve made the decision and don’t need to keep thinking about it.

It’s like a weight is lifted.

No more deliberating!

Brilliant!

More room for Mental Sunshine…

P.S. There is a brilliant book called FlipIt by Michael Heppel who says it’s not really the side of the coin that decides – The decision you really want will come to you while the coin is still spinning in the air.