Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash
Success is a function of the number of meaningful decisions that you make per unit time given reasonable faculty and decent information.
This has been one of my guiding principles throughout my career. I believe that committing to a decision and moving forward inclusive of risk will bring you closer to your goals. By definition, I also believe the inverse, which is that not making decisions will distance you from your goals. Of course, this position sounds completely rational but what about the risk of making bad decisions?
Most people are afraid of making a bad decision, me included, but I do not let fear stop me from making decisions. I have learned that even a bad decision will lead to another set of decisions, which will be blessed by the better information provided by the bad decision. This is very important. Even bad decisions are valuable because they inform future decisions.
True, no one likes how it feels to reflect on a bad decision, but consider changing how you perceive what you might call “bad” and be grateful that you learned. The conscious mind has the most amazing ability to contextualize a real event in almost any way we choose. We may not be able to choose how we react to an event, particularly if it is very emotional, but we certainly can choose how we feel about it as a memory. Choosing too often to label things as “bad” may result in eliminating valuable information for the future.
Now, let’s also talk about second guessing a decision. Second guessing a decision is worthless. The decision has already been made. You can’t go back in time and change it. Where you stand now is the present. You can make another decision but you cannot change a previously made decision. Yes, it may be helpful to reflect on the data and situation that led to the decision you made, but only if this is useful to making a decision in the present or the future. Otherwise, this investment of your time second guessing is worthless. You can’t change the past. Let it go. Move on.
I recognize that many people process information differently and that some people naturally might be more prone to second guessing decisions or may not have the confidence to embrace a mindset of decisive decision making. You don’t need me to tell you that this is ok. You do you. But perhaps consider what I am presenting more in the context of a methodology rather than a discussion of human nature. We all make decisions. We all make mistakes. We all learn. The way you feel about the risk of making a bad decision could change if you recontextualized it. Imagine thinking about it methodologically…I know I will make a decision, the result will not be perfect but will present another set of decisions, the next decision will be better informed and therefore I will get closer to my goal. Iteratively, I will get there, it just might take awhile.
As I recently shared while speaking with Jim Lauria and Adam Tank on the “Water We Talking About?” podcast produced by Water Online, I believe in you! I believe in you! Give yourself a bit of grace and take the chance to believe in yourself. You’ve got this! Keep going….decision your way to the success you imagine :)
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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