Results May Vary

Lately I've been thinking about how difficult it can be to make decisions because we can't always predict the results. A simple example is my old Mazda. It's fifteen years old and somehow reliably gets me where I need to go with little protest. Whenever something goes wrong and the mechanic hypothesizes that $500 in repairs will probably fix the issue, I find myself bombarded by uncertainty. What if I spend the $500 and it doesn't fix the problem? Then do I agree to the next $500 in repairs? What if they fix the car but it breaks down again in a month? It is an old car. How much longer could it last me? Should I cut my losses and get a newer car that won't need all this work?

I'm just talking about a car and putting $500 on the line, which is pretty low stakes. How much more paralyzed by uncertainty am I if the decision I have to make involves risking something more precious to me, like my time or energy or heart? What happens when I am considering more important decisions like going back to school, taking a new job, or giving someone who hurt me a second chance? 

When facing these decisions, most of us start by gathering as much information as we can. We might research the issue online, talk to friends and people who have "been there" for advice, and analyze all the possible alternatives, trying to make sure we choose the option that is most likely to give us what we want. There's nothing wrong with this approach, and often it allows us to make a decision that produces an outcome that is acceptable to us. But even with the most considered decisions, the results are never guaranteed. There is always the possibility of something working out differently than you had anticipated.

It is good to be thoughtful when faced with a big decision, but our obsession with the outcome can become a burden. In our attempt to control the results, we can become so weighed down by the information and advice that we are unable to make any decision at all! Not being able to make the decision actually makes the decision for us, stripping away our power and leaving us exactly where we started.

Sometimes we just have to put it all down and take the next step, knowing that we can't quite be sure where it will take us.