Paralyzed By Indecision? How To Get Unstuck From It
“There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.”― William James
Ever felt a lump in the throat and gnawing pain in the stomach because you can’t decide? Does making decisions feel like filling an ocean with a glass of water?
Struggling with indecision is like drowning in a sinkhole. It’s no fun.
Making a decision might be difficult, but the decision itself is not a death to be alarmed.
How Indecision Becomes Decision By Default
Collectively, we are facing unprecedented extents of change and disruptions across the globe. Individually, we are dealing with shifting realities.
We cannot go back to the old way of life, which felt more stable where people took decisions with the confidence of predicting. We have to find new ways to thrive in the unpredictable environment we are living in today. It is quite common to feel worried and get paralyzed to take decisions in this century.
Worry is at the root of the inability to make decisions.
It leads to fear of making wrong decisions, the fear of outcomes of the wrong choices, and the fear of the shame it attaches with itself as a reward. As a result, we decide not to decide, we give up our power of choice, and indecision becomes a decision by default.
Overcome Fear
It is fine to react to the uncertainties, but don’t overreact.
By holding the torch of fear in one hand, if you light the indecision, then think of the risk of making your life dark by not taking the valuable action in your life.
When fear runs high, the need for courage should run higher.
Gain Self Confidence
The lack of self-confidence and the indecisiveness go hand in hand like Halloween and horror movies. If we ignore our misplaced anxieties, it will be easier to grab new choices, without worrying about whether it is worth taking the step.
The more we trust ourselves, we can handle whatever comes next, the less indecisive we will become.
Trust Your Gut
Our gut is a wealth of knowledge bejeweled with empirically validated facts that you aren’t in touch with at critical crossroads.
Trust your gut; it will lead you to what is beneficial for you. Use your intuition instead of waiting for the right decision to show itself.
Don’t Worry To Make Mistakes
Most successful people in the world have a common trait; they make decisions quickly. It doesn’t mean that every decision they make is right, but after making decisions, they accept the good and learn from the bad.
Don’t be afraid of mistakes and failure; be afraid of not trying. Failure teaches you and makes you a better person, but regrets don’t.
With experience, the size of our mistakes will shrink.
Whenever you see a truly successful person, realize that their success gets mounted on the backs of failure, loss, disaster, and risk.
Get Out Of The Cage
As much as we want a change or action, we are often scared of it. It is safer and familiar to be in the cage, but how much ever attractive it is still a cage.
Making a decision usually propels you forward whereas, indecision keeps you stuck to the same spot.
Do not let your comfort zone make you settle for less than what you want. Get out of the cage, take bold decisions, and soar high.
Mind Over Matter
Ask yourself the question, “Does it matter?” If you don’t mind, then it doesn’t matter. Take a decision that feels good for you and move on.
Less Is More
Exploring too much data and analyzing multiple options isn’t going to help. It will ultimately lead to indecision.
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is known for making commercial decisions based on 70% of available information. This near guarantees that his decisions will not be 100% right and will require ongoing iteration, and sometimes 180-degree pivots. But by not playing it safe and waiting until he’s sure he cannot mess up, Amazon has proven its ability to forge new ground, innovate new ideas and improve on old ones at a pace that leaves most in their wake.
So never wait for the 100% analysis. Go ahead with what is available and keep it simple.
If you cannot make the right decision, you can always make the decision right.
Don’t Wait For Others To Decide For You
Often indecision leads to giving away our power to someone else. We wait for others to decide for us, but we fail to realize that we are always in control of our life and nobody can choose instead of us. Only our stomach knows if we are hungry or not, so next time take the lead and never wait for others to decide your life.
Speak With A Friend
Sometimes indecision can create zero visibility in our life and make us stranded. In such times it is better to discuss the problem with our reliable friend. Talking about the issue helps to get a different perspective on the problem and eases us to make a decision. But never ask your friend to decide for you. It will prompt you to become much indecisive.
Right decisions don’t ensure success, but indecision assures failure. Trust yourself and take the decision. Once done, don’t brood over it. You have the power to change the choices again if needed.
