Decisions Are Hard. Indecision Is Harder.

What it’s costing you to stay stuck.

So… confession time.

I’m moving to Vancouver. This week. (EEK. It’s actually happening!)

And finally yesterday my place was confirmed… only to find out today, it fell through!

So here I am days away from leaving… and I still haven’t fully locked in where I’m going to live. Trying to stay cool. 

Now, to be fair, it’s not for lack of trying.

I have spent weeks and weeks and hours and hours and hours looking at places. (Luckily, I do love it!)

And here’s what I’ve realized:

The more options you have, the harder it is to decide!

Because suddenly, it’s not just about choosing a place.

It’s about choosing the right place. The best place. The perfect place.

And then comes the spiral…

“What if there’s something better out there?”
“What if I make the wrong choice?”
“What if I just look at one more option…?”

Welcome to what Barry Schwartz refers to as “The Paradox of Choice.” 

And it’s exhausting!

Because there is a cost to indecision, and this is the part we don’t always talk about. 

We only have so much decision capital in a day. So many decisions we can make before our brain just says, “Yeah… we’re done here.”

And when we’re sitting in indecision, when we have all these open loops running in the background, it’s draining. It takes up emotional real estate, pulls our focus, and slowly robs us of our energy and joy!

Because instead of getting excited about what’s next, we find ourselves scrolling, comparing, second-guessing… 

See I’ve been thinking about spending time in Vancouver for years. And I’m so excited!

And yet if I’m not careful, that excitement is going to turn into all this pressure to somehow make a three-month chapter just perfect. 

But at some point I just have to choose!

To book the flight, sign the lease, start the adventure. 

Yes, there will always be something better. And no, nothing will ever be perfect.

But whatever decision you make, you can make it the right one.

That’s the part we forget.

It’s not the decision itself that creates the outcome. It’s what we do after we make it.

So today, I’m deciding!

Not because I found the perfect place, but because I’m done sitting in indecision. Because I want my energy back, my excitement back, and the adventure to begin!

Maybe there’s an area in your life right now where you’re doing the same thing. Where you’re waiting, overthinking, keeping options open. Maybe it’s a conversation, or a decision you’ve been avoiding. 

So here’s a question for you:

What is your indecision costing you right now?

Not just in time, but in energy, excitement, joy? 

And what would shift if you simply chose?

Because maybe the goal isn’t to make the perfect decision. Maybe it’s to make a decision and be able to move forward! And to trust that everything will then unfold as it’s supposed to, and you will figure it out. (Because it always does, and you always do!)

 

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👊 This Week’s Brave Action Challenge

1. Think about one “open loop” in your life right now. Something you’ve been putting off or avoiding. 
2. Write it down.
3. Make the decision.

 

Send the message. Have the conversation. Choose the option. Do the thing!

And then notice what happens…

The space, the relief, the energy that comes back.

Because clarity doesn’t come from thinking more…

It comes from deciding.

Cheering you on,
Carol 🩷