“Indecision is the enemy of progress. Not saying ‘yes’ to one possibility is saying ‘no’ to them all.”
– Micheal Haggstrom
Have you heard of the Paradox of Choice? American Psychologist, Barry Schwartz (author of Why Less is More), says that although autonomy and freedom of choice is critical to our well-being, too many choices has a negative effect on us. Schwartz argues that the sheer number of choices we have to make in developed Western societies can lead to stress and even paralysis (inaction). Rather than choose “wrong” we don’t choose anything at all, because we’re afraid of missing out on a better experience.
We have way more options for material goods than ever before in history, we have unlimited access to information via the internet, we have so many more career and lifestyle options as well… I think the Paradox of Choice is a great thing to keep in mind to make sure we don’t fall victim to our own inaction. Maybe the solution is to get clear on our goals and priorities in life, to make it easier for us to make decisions and take action without dwelling on the what-ifs or fear of missing out.
