Overanalyzing decisions is something that we all deal with to some extent.
Are you the type of person that is slow to make a decision and act on it for fear of making the wrong choice? That was me to a “T” not so many years ago. I was so fearful of making the wrong decision that I never got anything going at all. I was full of ideas and hopes and dreams, but I always managed to think myself out of it.
This irrational fear of making a mistake had taken over my life, and as a result, I settled into a safe, dull existence; one where I sacrificed growth, prosperity, and new experiences for predictability and security.
Looking back now, I’m not really sure what I was afraid of. Maybe it was a combination of things; Fear of wasting time and going down the wrong path might have been at the root of it. A person only has so much time and resources, so you better make the smartest decisions you can. I now realize that nothing is guaranteed and that even if you fail, there is something to be gained. By failing, we are closer to our goals because you won’t make that mistake again. Fear of failing is actually counter productive.
A PATH OF FAILURES
The path to success is paved with failures. It’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Some of us never learn it; always playing it safe and missing out on the challenges, excitement and rewards that life can bring.
For me, I had to stop overanalyzing every move I made and quit aiming for perfection. That wasn’t the easiest thing, because I believe that my perfectionist tendencies are rooted in my lack of self-esteem. I am afraid to fail because it makes me feel bad and feeling bad about myself is the last thing I needed and what I avoided at all costs. Low self-esteem individuals are ill-equipped to deal with failure; or at least, that’s what I believed at the time.
I won’t say that I have all the answers, but the way I got over it was to get used to underachieving. If you have perfectionist tendencies, it can seem almost impossible to go through life not making sure that everything is perfect; shielding yourself from reality.
I HAD ENOUGH
A few years back, I had had enough. I decided on a course of action, and I started taking on tasks without worrying about doing a stellar job – with the intention of half-assing everything that came my way. How bad could it be? And maybe, just maybe, I could learn some valuable life lessons. My standards were already so high that even if I did a crappy job, it was probably more than adequate. To add a little more fuel to the fire, I even started a few things that I didn’t finish, which drove me completely nuts.
Now, I have to tell you that I still did my job to the level required. I didn’t want to get fired, after all. The tasks I used as my own little experiment consisted of mainly daily things in my own personal life.
I’d like to tell you that it worked out fine, but it really didn’t. However, I did learn a lot about myself. For example, I need time to make a reasonable decision. I have to weigh options and look at data before I feel comfortable making a decision/choice. Maybe some people can make those quick decisions, but that’s just not me. I also learned that there is a sweet spot where overanalyzing causes delay, missed opportunities, and regret, but being too quick at making decisions can be just as bad. I like to take at least a few minutes to mull over the pros and cons.
High functioning people can make decisions quickly; that isn’t me, however, and I’m okay with that. Knowing oneself is important and can save you a lot of time trying to be something you’re not.
The bottom line is that this new approach means that I’m no longer bogged down, unable to make a decision and I’ve noticed it is making a difference. Sure, I’ve made the wrong choice on occasion, but I’ve always learned from it. Nothing is worthless. You have to look at the overall net result. I took the long way a few times, but I still got to where I wanted to go, and at least I got something going. Compare that to being frozen in an endless loop of self-analyzing. Nothing is ever perfect, so make your best decision with the information you’ve got and get moving.
