Friday Musings—27/10/23

If you haven't read it yet, in this week's post we discuss how to take control of the negativity in your life by identifying all "bad pests" bugging you (including yourself!). This post seems to have really resonated with some of you, and it's led to some interesting discussions. I seriously encourage you all to give the "Sponsored Bug-blast Day" a try. I did yesterday, and it made me realize just how easy it is to complain all the time.

Now onto my weekly musings, all revolving around decision making. I struggle with chronic indecisiveness, so I'm always fascinated by this topic.

Are we in charge of our decisions?

From Darwin's (infuriating) pros and cons list to decide whether to marry his cousin to the raid on Osama bin Laden’s presumed compound, from the Vegemite principle to decision theory, from aspirations to living in the meanwhile. This delightful New Yorker article ventures into a topic that has kept philosophers busy for centuries—how do we make decisions, and are we in control of the way we change?

Why do we agonize over what to stream on Netflix, but may find ourselves making the life-changing decision to break up with someone after a few drinks? Are we among the "opters" who brood over the person they did not marry, the country they did not emigrate to, the career they did not pursue?

A therapist's view on indecisiveness

Why can some quickly make a decision without thinking twice about it, while others seriously struggle to get to that point? This piece on understanding and overcoming the roots of one's indecisiveness really resonated with me. It often takes me ages to make a decision, and I'm constantly second-guessing myself, so exploring where this struggle may come from and becoming more confident in my decision-making is something I definitely want to work more on.

Heads or tails?

According to the findings of a study by economist and Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt, when we're faced with the choice between action and inaction, we should choose the action that represents a change.

The study asked people who were having a hard time making a decision (e.g. whether they should quit their job or break up with their partner) to participate in a randomized digital coin toss. Heads meant they should take action. Tails, they stuck with the status quo. Ultimately, 20,000 coins were flipped—and people who got heads and made a big change reported being significantly happier than they were before, both two months and six months later.

You can read more about it here. While the conclusions of this study may seem excessively provocative, and there are several limitations to take into account, it does serve the purpose of reminding us that we tend to struggle with status quo bias and we'd be better served by being more excited about what we might gain from change rather than worrying about what we might lose.

If you need a further push towards taking action, you can read my post on action bias or my series on how to build a life we love (here, here and here).

Quote of the week ✍️

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide". (Napoleon Bonaparte)

That's all from me today. As always, share any insights or questions you may have in the comments, or send me an email—I'm always happy to chat. You can also book a free call with me to talk about personal development and where you're at in your life. Don't forget to share this with someone who may be interested.

Enjoy your weekend and TTYS

ML