The insidious cost of indecision
“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that in itself is a choice.” — William James
Have you ever had a hard time making a decision?
The famous thinker William James said: “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that in itself is a choice.” At first, this seems obvious — not deciding is the same as deciding not to change.
But if we think a bit deeper about what James said, we see a deeper truth. Not deciding is actually very harmful and stops our personal growth.
Why is it bad to not make decisions?
When we don’t decide, we don’t stay still — we actually move backwards without realizing it. We think we are safely staying the same, but life moves on without us. Opportunities go away, situations change, and we miss out by not choosing.
Not deciding feels safe, but is really driven by fear — fear of making a wrong choice, of failure, of disrupting our routines. But safety is an illusion. Life never pauses to wait for our courage.
How does indecisiveness hold us back?
Indecisiveness becomes a habit that is hard to break. Each time we don’t decide, it gets harder to make a choice next time. We get stuck in a cycle of inaction. Meanwhile, our lives stagnate and fade into grayness. Many people live lives of quiet sadness because they never take action.
Courage isn’t something we’re born with — it’s a muscle we build by practicing small brave decisions daily. If we don’t use it, we become indecisive weaklings.
What are the benefits of being decisive?
When we force ourselves to decide, we take ownership of our life’s story. Even if we fail sometimes (which is inevitable), our mistakes become lessons that help us grow.
Most importantly, every decisive choice opens us up to unexpected luck, inspirations, and amazing opportunities that could never have happened if we stayed indecisive.
How can we overcome indecisiveness?
Avoiding indecisiveness means being intentional about how we use our limited time, energy and spirit on Earth. It means authoring our own life’s adventures instead of just watching it pass by.
We all have much more potential than we realize. But we can only grow toward greatness when we commit to making difficult choices that push us into uncertainty where opportunity lies.
What’s the key message?
So next time you face a life crossroads, don’t get stuck in indecisive purgatory. Make a resolute choice to move forward, and let chance and momentum carry you toward the extraordinary personal achievements you were meant for. Because indecisiveness risks tragically arriving somewhere in life without ever deciding where you wanted to go.
Thank you
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