I am an advocate for choice.
I believe that within choice lives power.
The absence of choice renders in us a sense of being powerless and the feeling of being helpless.
With that said, I understand that choice can be overwhelming.
Just as not having a choice brings on feelings of overwhelm, too much choice can often bring on the same feelings.
As consumers we love choice.
Have you noticed how confusing it can be to go to a store to buy simple things like toothpaste?
There are fifty different types to choose from.
I experienced the sense of overwhelm when I went to buy my wife a box of cheese crackers. I found seven different kinds of cheese crackers in the brand that she favors. I stood in the grocery store aisle for the longest time trying to decide which flavor of cheese cracker to buy. Finally, I just picked one. And it ended up being the wrong one.
However, now I know and will be able to make the right choice next time.
With so much to choose from, there are going to be times when what we choose isn’t exactly the right thing.
That is fine.
Life is an experiment.
If the choice doesn’t turn out, it doesn’t mean we failed. It means we now have more information in which to go forward and conduct more experiments.
My belief is it is better to choose than choose nothing at all.
So much to choose from can leave us feeling overwhelmed and sometimes paralyzed. We can become so confused by all the choices that we simply choose by default.
We can also become so fearful that we will make the wrong choice that we choose not to make a choice.
Treat making a choice like an experiment.
Make the best choice you can at the time with the information that you have.
Once the choice is made, you will have added information to what you had.
If the choice needs to be tweaked or changed, that is fine. You are allowed to change your mind and make another choice.
A client shared with me that her university daughter was going to drop out of school because she couldn’t decide on a major and there was just too much to choose from. She was totally overwhelmed. This made me think back to when I earned my bachelors degree. It took me six years to complete my four-year degree partly because I changed my major so many times.
I don’t look at this as a failure or mistake. I had an eclectic educational experience and I ended up earning the degree that best suited me.
Don’t let choice overwhelm you. Take it as an experience.
There is no right or wrong, best or worst.
Make the best choice you can make in the moment and then figure it out as you go along.
You can always modify or change your choice.
I believe that the only choice that isn’t a good one is to abdicate or forfeit our privilege to choose in the first place.
Coaching Challenge
This week make a choice you have been thinking about. Don’t wait any longer. Choose and take action. Once you decide, the rest will fall into place. You can always modify or change your choice as you go along. To stay stuck and not choose is a waste of your precious time.
Daily Success Formula
Choice = Privilege + Responsibility