Decision Making

We make decisions all the time. Some of them are very conscious decisions that we contemplate and think about before making them. Some of them are subconscious decisions that just happen because of our training and background.

A number of years ago I was asked the question – What do you have to do? The question was asked in a classroom setting and there were many different responses. When it was my turn to share I could not think of anything that I HAD to do. Everything I thought of was a choice (and the answers others were giving were all choices). There are things I would like to do, things that I feel obligated to do, things that I do without thinking.

Of course there are no free moves. Any decision has consequences. When it was my turn to answer in class, I passed, as I could not think of anything I HAD to do. A short time later the thought came to me that there was something I had to do (and that we all have to do). We have to make decisions because not making a decision is making a decision to stay status quo. The understanding, knowledge, and awareness of this simple, yet profound truth has helped me understand and not shirk away from making conscious decisions.