Decisions aren’t difficult

One of the very integral and often daunting parts of life is decisions making. Whether its the choice of a dish for takeaway or the dilemma of texting too soon, no one seems to be elated to be in a position of narrowing down options and facing the consequences. It is not only a responsibility for the aftermath but also a burden of making a bad one. The very thoughts of guilt and suffering you might experience ironically cause you to feel the same set of emotions even before you decide to take that route. This fear of making the wrong decision, not the process of decision making, manifests into an eternally petrified state of mind, superfluous dependence on others, and all in all, a fate reliant, seemingly lost life.

Much of this confusion and pessimism arises from the extreme genres of information we are bombarded with every single day. We are tasked to sieve through the gallons of conflicting views, ambiguous citings and, opinionated facts that are tossed in our faces through ours as well as general past experiences, beliefs, prejudices, and reasonings.

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”

― Marcus Aurelius

This cluster of everything creates a desperate need for cognitive clarity, a compulsive urge to compartmentalize actions as well as consequences into clear-cut rights and wrong, which inevitably compromises our methods of decision making. We devise shortcuts and perceived ideas to give a very distinct if not accurate labels to everything, from humans and things to feelings, which is why deciding feels like a strenuous task. It affects more than us and our realities. It affects our relationships and lifestyle.

“It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do.”

― Elbert Hubbard

It is human to recall than to accept fully without confirmation and more often, the past shows a negative picture. Through centuries of existence, man has learned to be cautious of its surroundings, wary of its actions, and doubtful of its future. This is precisely why even the tiniest decisions seem so life-altering because that has been the way of life for humans since its birth.

The only way to relinquish our millennium-old custom of suffering before it has even happened is through practicing the art of dissociation. Separate the results from the actions and the actions from the result removing the need for blame, our self-proclaimed commitment to mistake-free life. Blaming comes from our need to prove our righteousness, our goodness which limits our motivation to do things on our own, encouraging our reliance on others. Curb the need to blame, to feel morally superior to others. Commit to long-term thoughts and remember that mistakes can be rectified. There is beauty to freedom which can only come from taking actions for oneself and to make choices is the most satisfying act of them all.

“Do nothing, and nothing happens. Life is about decisions. You either make them or they’re made for you, but you can’t avoid them.”
― Mhairi McFarlane