A state of uncertainty is nerve wracking.
It drives people crazy.
I don’t care what it is — waiting on a new job, waiting to find a life partner, waiting to find a place to live, waiting on a college acceptance.
Limbo is hard. Especially when someone else’s indecision puts you there.
I dislike indecision, probably to an extreme.
I don’t linger over restaurant menus.
My husband and I decided on “forever” after eight dates. The first time we lived in the same city was when he moved to Seattle and moved in with me. Faith helped there.
We put in new hardwoods in our condo last year. Our (competent, capable and awesome) interior designer showed up with seven options. I narrowed them down to three, based on color and durability. Then I flipped over each plank to see the prices, and let cost be the final factor. It took me about 10 minutes to pick out new floors.
I still love both my husband and my floors.
When I rented, I hung wall art in minutes. I have so little patience for “a little to the left. No up. Now down a little. To the right.” Measure for the center. Put a little mark with the pencil.
No. Just hang the dang picture already. (Ok. So maybe I needed an interior designer. I had crooked mirrors.)
In college, I did a leadership retreat sponsored by a local Rotary Club. One “challenge” was to put on a harness, climb up a tall ladder and then jump off of a platform. I guess it was supposed to make us feel empowered or good about ourselves, or something. I forget the point.
One girl stood on the platform. Stuck.
The leader bellowed at her with a bullhorn to give her the kick in the ass she needed: “Jump or get down. Right now! MAKE A DECISION.”
She jumped.
Good Blog! I agree. I’m not always decisve. Thanks for sharing.
Jump! This is a big theme in my book 🙂 Of all the smart people I know, you tend to leap the quickest. I always think you’ll regret it, but you NEVER do… Seems like you just know the right choice to make. Wish I could be like that!
Andrea- I LOVE your decision making skills. I think a lot of clients could learn from you in that regard. That especially with a designer, you will be happier in the long run, and your project will get done much faster if you can learn to be decisive. I make sure that the options I present are already pared-down enough so that whatever you choose, it will still look good in the space.
There’s some saying that you have to just get 70% of the information you need and then make a decision with your gut. There’s actually a negative consequence to waiting until you have the full 100%. (your decision won’t be any better, and you will have lost so much time, something about diminishing returns…)
Anyway, thanks so much for the mention!
Oh man, you must’ve been frustrated with me and my whining. I can’t make a decision to save my life. Thanks for being there while I stumbled and bumbled my way to a decision.
@Cascadia – thank you!
@Alexis: I think it’s because you can’t predict the future exactly, so once you have as many facts as you’re going to get, it’s diminishing returns to seek out more facts.
@Lindsey: Yes so true! I like that 70% rule.
@Pauline: Haha! I thought you were going crazy. Thanks for being inspiration. I love you!
As always, a very interesting post (I love the title) – & comments. I agree on the importance of being decisive. My sister, like you, abhors indecision, & that trait has consistently served her well. In fact, I’m hard pressed to think of an example to the contrary. However, I think it can be helpful to re-evaluate a decision in light of subsequent events/information, and if possible/necessary, change course.
Btw, this post reminded me of a book that I’ve been meaning to read, “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, “a series of delightful stories, all about the backstage mental process we call intuition.” (http://nyti.ms/fwzxYt NYT review)
@hmf: Please do read “Blink” and tell me what you think! I read it and enjoyed it very much!
And yes: So true on being open to changing course. Being open to changing course, in fact, helps you be more decisive. Because you know that most of what you decide is not permanent! (I’m thinking more along the lines of career, not family, here.)