Decisions, decisions, decisions… According to a recent Google search, the average adult makes approximately 35,000 decisions a day. Most of those decisions are reflexive or unconscious decisions (e.g., scratching, yawning, blinking) but that means there are still a lot of conscious decisions we make on a daily basis. Some of those decisions are less involved such as “What are we going to eat for dinner?” or “Where should I go to get gas?” Even fewer of these daily decisions will be large, impactful ones such as “Should I quit my job?”, “Should we get a pet?” or “Should I go back to school?”
Often, the larger decisions are not made on a whim; they require time to weigh the pros and the cons. Whenever I’m part of conversations with people contemplating a major decision, I find that many of them tend to focus on scarcity. This, in turn, generates anxious and fearful thoughts about the potential losses which ultimately delays the decision and forces people to stick with the status quo. So often we ask ourselves, “What have I got to lose?” and a flood of answers may come. Although it’s usually a rhetorical question, sometimes we’ve got a lot to lose and sometimes we’ve got nothing to lose at all!
In my personal definition of GRIT, the ‘I’ refers to imagination and this component often prompts me to flip things around a little. For example, when it comes time to make a big decision, I tend to ask myself the question “What have I got to gain?”
I find that this subtle shift in perspective will get me energized about a situation that may otherwise appear negative. When my brain registers that I may gain something positive such as insight, perspective or guidance from a challenging situation, I start to imagine new benefits that hadn’t even crossed my mind.
So try and recall any of the 35, 000 decisions that you’ve already made today including the one where you chose to read my blog!!! By the way, thanks for sticking with it 🙂
How do you think things would be different if you approached any of the large decisions by asking yourself “What have I got to gain?”
What have you got to gain in 2020?
