How to: Make difficult choices easily
You’re probably choosing whether to read this article or not. I’ll help you: It’s a 5 min read in helping you to make difficult choices that can have a lasting impact from 5 to 50 years of your life. So to read or not to read? I’m not a genius, but I’d say it’d be a good 5 min investment of your time.
As a 24-year-old fresh graduate, making choices is becoming increasingly difficult, especially when reflecting on the regret I felt upon pursuing my degree. Perhaps I should have chosen a different major or foregone a degree altogether to pursue my passion. If only there were a time stone from Marvel in this situation, where I could watch the movie of my life in alternative timelines. Choices I make are becoming much harder for three main reasons: first, I'm getting older, so time and energy are limited, making it hard to reverse decisions once made; second, I'm taking on more responsibilities, and decision fatigue is setting in; third, I'm getting older and slowly realizing who I am.
Why would realizing who I am make the choices harder? Well, it is harder, but it is easy to choose. Let me explain. Hard choices are challenging because there isn't a clear best option. Or rather, the choices are very similar to each other. But if they are so similar, why can't you toss a coin and choose? Well, we can't because we strongly believe there is a 'right' and one and only path. I'm not sure why we have this mentality. Maybe it's because of years of MCQ brainwashing in our education system that prompt us to use the same decision-making system in real life, where there's only one correct option.
So, how do we make difficult choices easier?
Imagine building a company or shaping a character. Companies face countless decisions that carry significant financial implications, and the stakes are high. Choosing between alternatives can be incredibly challenging, even when backed by accurate statistical data. But what ultimately guides their actions? Their mission, vision, and values. It might sound cliché, but it's undeniably true. Consider the mission and vision statements of some top companies:
IKEA: "To create a better everyday life for the many people."
TED: "Spread ideas."
Starbucks: "To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time."
Reflect on the actions taken by these companies and their products. Have they fulfilled their vision? Most definitely yes.
Here's the crux: all the tools and strategies you employ to make decisions boil down to one essential quality—clarity. Hard decisions demand more clarity, offering insights into the nuances that differentiate seemingly similar options. Clarity within yourself reveals what you truly desire, while clarity externally discerns what is within your control and what isn't.
Improving clarity involves answering critical questions: What is your vision for the next 5 or 10 years? What is your mission and purpose? What are your values? Values play a pivotal role in guiding your actions. For instance, if you value freedom to travel, a conventional 9 to 5 job may not suit you. If creativity outweighs number-crunching, administrative tasks may not align with your aspirations.
The future remains blurry, ripe with opportunities yet to be realized. Embrace this uncertainty, for it allows you to paint the canvas of your future with clear intentions and decisive actions. You shape your destiny, following the compass within your heart and taking logical steps toward your goals. Embrace the difficulty of decisions, as they unveil your character and true nature. Who are you? What do you value? These aspects are reflected in the choices you make. Therefore, reverse engineer your decisions, seeking clarity within to find clarity outside. It's through this process that you truly define yourself and shape your path forward.
What are your values? What do you care about the most? What is the vision you wish to create? Be the creator of your future. Improve on your clarity. How? Ask more questions! Simple. The article could have ended right there with one sentence: Read more books, widen your vision, etc. But the intent behind this article is to remind everyone reading this that the future is largely in our hands if we choose it to be, and that we can make difficult choices easily if we have strong clarity.
Thank you for reading!