#62: Fear of Choosing Wrong
#EmbracingUncertainty #DecisionMindset #FindingPotential #JoyInTheJourney
👋 Welcome to this week's Pursuit. My name is Amir, and each week I go over 10 hours of content in pursuit of living a meaningful, fulfilling, and balanced life. I'm grateful to share my findings with you and hope I can have a tiny impact on your life. Subscribe now if you haven't already!
This week’s discovery:
😨 Fear of Choosing Wrong
😏 Not Sucking At Decision Making
🙈 The Beauty in the Unseen
🏭 Working on the Process
🗒️ A Quote I'm Pondering On
🎵 Music I'm Listening To
😨 Fear of Choosing Wrong
For every yes there must be a no, and every positive choice means you have to relinquish others.” If you are unwilling to face the loss that a decision requires, this can lead to procrastination and avoidance. Real choices involve risk. When we make decisions, we open up the possibility of choosing wrong. To avoid the fear of making a mistake, people can end up stuck in analysis paralysis—or simply decide to do nothing, sticking with the status quo by default.
Logic is important, but “wanting” is an experiential process. A decision can make rational sense, but still feel wrong in your gut. When you approach decisions in an overly analytical way, you lose touch with the emotional aspect of decision-making—which is the part that tells you what you truly desire. Next time you’re about to make a big decision ask yourself the followings:
What’s the hardest part about the choice you’re sitting with?
By saying “yes” to either option, what would you be saying “no” to?
When you imagine each option, how do you feel in your body?
If no one ever knew what you chose, what would you prefer?
What do you think a close friend or family member would say about what would make you happy or content?
If you were more willing to experience fear and uncertainty, what might you do?
😏 Not Sucking At Decision Making
The following decision-making tips stood out to me in this Tweet:
Reversible vs. Irreversible Decisions (famously coined by Jeff Bezos): Irreversible decisions are 'one-way doors.' They must be made slowly and deliberately. Reversible decisions are 'two-way doors.' These decisions can and should be made quickly.
Luck Razor: If stuck with 2 equal options, pick the one that feels like it will produce the most luck later down the line. Should I stay in tonight or should I go and meet this interesting stranger? Choose to increase your surface area of luck when you have the choice.
Outcome Blind: The biggest mistake when judging performance is only looking at the outcome. Instead, we should focus on the process used. It's possible to win with a bad decision making process (luck) or lose with a good process. What's important is knowing the 'Why.'
🙈 The Beauty in the Unseen
I want to keep putting myself in the way of people who can find what many of us consider repulsive and still say, this deserves a good home. I want to keep finding people who can grab one person’s garbage and see its potential. I want to keep noticing what I might normally overlook. I want to laugh, from the very center of my belly.
🏭 Working on the Process
Procrastination often results from focusing on the end goal rather than the process itself. This perspective makes the distance to the target appear vast and daunting. However, a subtle shift in perspective can transform this experience. Rather than chasing the result, concentrate on the process. This isn't about instant success, but rather consistent, daily efforts to improve and prepare for the next step. Ironically, when you're immersed in the process, the end goal often appears closer and more achievable. It's a paradoxical situation: the road to success involves a focus on today's preparation rather than tomorrow's triumph. And with each small step forward, you gain momentum and positive reinforcement, making the journey itself more enjoyable.
🗒️ A Quote I'm Pondering On
I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.
🎵 Music I'm Listening To
You’ll find mostly Ethnotronica, Organic House, World, Disco, and Organic Electronic here:
🎧 If you appreciate the music I carefully select and haven't followed my Spotify playlists yet, now is the perfect time to hit that follow button and join me on this musical journey! 🎶
🌒 Pano: Danceable and electronic obscure songs
🌓 Sisy: Ethnotronica and organic house
🌑 Berghain: Dark, minimal techno and tech house
🌕 Heide: Groovy soul and disco house
🌞 Sonntag: Afterhours shit
🌎 World: From Latin jazz to Turkish psych
🌚 Super Slow: For your intimate moments
Previously on Pursuit: