Decisions

I have too many decisions to make. Sadly, I don't recognise it most of the time.

Each time I make one, there are assumptions I make about the unknowns and tradeoffs of the decision. Some I make mindfully while others I don't give much thought to.

For the last couple of years, there had been a difficult decision that I had been delaying to make because the unknowns of the tradeoffs were overwhelming me. It would come back to me now and then but I would manage to delay it further. I had dragged this long enough that my life had already started to go in a certain direction. Although it was uncomfortable at times, I patiently waited for clarity to appear.

During a month-long vacation, there was enough "downtime" that it opened up some space in the attic. I could now see the decision quite clearly that seemed so daunting before. The simple question, "What would I regret by not doing this?", helped me decide the course of action.

It's the first time I've used regret this way and I feel fascinated by the simplicity of the method. I should pose this question more often.

The answer had always been there, just hidden behind all the clutter. I have too many decisions to make. Sadly, I don't recognise it most of the time.