Approximately a 3-minute read

Hello!

Recently, I was talking with an athlete who had a difficult decision to make. There were legitimate reasons to go in either direction. We talked through the situation and looked at the options. We considered what might happen if he chose one path versus the other, and eventually something became clear: There wasn’t a perfect option.

Every path had a severe cost.

I think we sometimes get stuck making decisions because we’re searching for the option where everything works out perfectly. The option with no downside or uncertainty, but those options rarely exist, especially when the stakes are high.

Sometimes clarity isn’t knowing which option is right; it’s coming to terms with which tradeoff you’re willing to accept.

Every decision has a price

I’ve spent much of my career working with people operating in high-pressure environments. One thing I’ve learned is that the higher you climb, the less frequently you’re choosing between an obviously good option and an obviously bad one.

You’re often choosing between competing good options or choosing your poison: Play through pain or protect your body. Be patient or make a change. Stay loyal or pursue an opportunity. Speak up or let something go.

In these cases, you're not choosing what you want; you’re choosing what you’re willing to give up. Oftentimes, I'll ask clients, “Which downside are you willing to live with?” That question tends to help them gain a little more clarity.

Another principle to consider during decision-making is not to confuse the outcome of a decision with the decision-making process.

The trap we fall into is judging our decisions by what happens afterward.

Let's say you choose to take a new job. Six months later, you hate it and say, “I made the wrong decision.” Or as a leader, you make an aggressive business move after considering all the correct information, but it doesn't work out.

In both of these cases, you might say that you made a bad decision. In these moments, it's important to remember that a good decision can produce a bad outcome through bad luck. And a bad decision can occasionally produce a great one, through dumb luck.

One of the best ways to evaluate your decisions is to ask yourself, “Given what I knew at the time, did I think clearly and make the best decision available to me?”

Try it for yourself:

If you’re facing a difficult decision right now, grab a piece of paper.

Step 1: Write down your three best options.

Step 2: Under each one, answer:

• What do I gain?
• What does it cost? (time, money, comfort, energy, etc.)

Don’t just compare the upside. Compare the tradeoffs.

Step 3: Then ask yourself one final question: Which cost am I most willing to live with?

You may discover that the decision becomes clearer, not because you’ve found an option without a downside, but because you’ve decided which downside you’re willing to carry.

Final Self-Reflection Question

"What decision are you struggling with because you’re still searching for an option that doesn’t require you to give something up?"

Until next week,

Justin

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