Just as the key ingredient of coffee is beans, a key ingredient of my day-to-day is decision making.
I’ll let you know about the worst decisions I ever made in just a moment, because they all fall into one category.
Decision Making As You Get Older
I think decision making as you get older gets harder. For two reasons.
Firstly, because you’re cleverer, more experienced and are more likely understand the implications of a good decision over a bad one. All of this means you have more options, which can be rather confusing. A series of ‘what if’s’ result from this. And, instead of lighting you up, (‘wow there’s so much I can do!’) – the ‘what if’s’ close you down.
Secondly, as we all become increasingly aware of our own mortality (1000 months) – decisions get heavier. There is an increasing ‘foreverness’ to them. Because as we get older we learn that there is no ‘forever’ – there is just our ‘forever’ which is (and I know this sounds like a contradiction) finite.
The Worst Decisions I Ever Made
All of that said, I know all of the worst decisions I ever made. Every one.
The worst decisions I ever made were, ‘no decision’.
When 2008 came, I reacted quickly. I shifted the shape of my business. Changed the way we chased goals. Became leaner. All within a week. Great decisions!
But then I didn’t make any further key decisions for about 6 months. I just waited to see if the clouds would pass or if this was the new norm.
And guess what, we didn’t progress much. We floated.
Opting to tread water at a time when everything around is morphing – some drowning and others speedboating ahead – is a silly strategy.
Responsibility
And all this is boils down to responsibility I think.
If I want something to change, I have to change it. So I need to make some decisions.
Anyhow. I’ve decided to go now. And do some proper work. Which will involve making more decision.
Damn!
