Decisions, Decisions!

Decisions, Decisions!!!! Taken on Bournemouth Sea Front

Ah, decisions, decisions, we make them all day, every day! From the moment we wake up……Do I need to get up or can I have another 5 minutes in bed? What shall I wear today? What do I fancy for breakfast? And it goes on for the rest of the day, right up to….Is it bedtime? What book shall I read in bed? Shall I put the light out?

We make most decisions on the hop, without even thinking about it. These are just every day things that we decide almost subliminally – but they are still decisions! I wonder how many we make in our lifetime!

Others though are more major and need thinking about, and how we make those decisions will depend on our make up. Just as a simple example, lets say you need a new item of equipment, maybe a new backpacking tent. With my character, I will research tents thoroughly, reading up on the various details of each, including the weight……especially the weight 🙂 , considering the material its made from and the cost…..especially the cost 🙂 , looking at reviews, talking to people who have used the various models, and so on. I will probably make a short list and gradually narrow it down, probably to two or three and then try to decide on which one.

The problem is making that final decision is hard because as a balanced person, I can see the strengths of each but deciding on one is less straight forward. You see, one of my strengths is the ability to see all sides of a problem – in the event of a dispute for example, I will understand both parties angle and empathise with each, but to come down on one side or the other, well that’s tricky. That ability is a strength but it can also be a weakness.

Others are the opposite and in choosing a tent, they will just walk in to an outdoor shop and choose one almost instantly without feeling the need to research the subject at all. They are just naturally decisive and jump in with both feet. I almost envy people like that as much less heartache is involved and it seems a more carefree attitude, but you know what they say, ‘Decide in haste, repent at leisure’……..well that’s not exactly the phrase but its my version of it 🙂 ! Now of course between the ‘balanced’ person and the ‘decisive’ person there is a sliding scale and you could fit anywhere into that scale, and also you can learn to operate outside of your natural inclinations. Its all a part of personal development.

The other thing of course is that having made the decision and bought the tent, what happens afterwards? Well, there is a good chance that thoughts such as, ‘I’m not sure I made the right decision after all, maybe I should have gone for the other one’, will pop into either of our minds. This can apply especially if new and better models are announced or things change…..as they have a habit of doing.

Many, many years ago, I came into possession of a few bank shares and I decided not to sell them because at the time they were a solid and secure stock that was paying good dividends. Looking back afterwards, I wish I had sold them but who could have possibly predicted the banking crash – hindsight is a wonderful thing. And that is another lesson – you make decisions based on the best information available at the time and you can’t possibly predict what is going to happen in the future, so decide and don’t look back! In fact, if you do look back over your past, the vast majority of decisions that you have made, had no significant effect on your life anyway.

Maybe the only decision that really matters is how you are going to live your life from now on!

Actually, I’d like to know how the person who installed the sign above makes his (or her) decisions. For instance, I’d like to know why they decided to put the top right hand screw where it is and why its not in the corner as all the others are 🙂 !

Now, which way shall I go – if I go to the loo to the left I will pass an ice-cream stand but if I go to the loo to the right I will pass a coffee shop. Do I want an ice-cream or a coffee? One will give me caffeine which might help me walk with more energy, but then the other……………

Thanks for visiting Time to Reflect and for reflecting with me.

(All words and pictures on this site are copyright of Terry Yarrow and must not be reproduced without permission)

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