Deliberate or Decide?

Here’s a statement worth thinking about:

“The percentage of mistakes in quick decisions is no greater than in the long, drawn-out vacillations, and the effect of decisiveness itself makes things go and creates confidence.”

That’s from Ann O’Hare McCormick, a writer who understood how easy it is to waste time deliberating.

You need to think through important decisions. You need to seek counsel. But don’t keep deliberating out of fear of not finding the perfect answer.

In making any important decision:

• First, be aware of your initial, gut instinct.

• Then, ask questions. But only of people whose opinions you respect and only for a predetermined period of time.

If both processes (one subconscious and instantaneous and the other conscious and calculated) point to the same answer, act without hesitation.

If they disagree, act according to your gut.

[Ed. Note: Mark Morgan Ford was the creator of Early To Rise. In 2011, Mark retired from ETR and now writes the Palm Beach Letter. His advice, in our opinion, continues to get better and better with every essay, particularly in the controversial ones we have shared today. We encourage you to read everything you can that has been written by Mark.]