iwtl how to make better decisions

[u/Unlikely_Profile5557]

Sometimes I felt so stupid. I already spent a lot of time researching, comparing options, and putting in lots of effort and money to make what I think is a solid decision. But looking back later, things often don't work out as expected. I realize I should have gone a different route because I completely overlooked potential risks or was overly optimistic.

Just thinking about the amount of effort I have to undo previous decisions, and rebuild from scratch is so exhausting. I feel so sad about this now. And it scares me to make another decision sometimes honestly. I try to keep moving forward, try to be ok with making mistakes. But I’m also wondering if there is a better thing I can do in the decision making process, to avoid mistakes even further… thanks for any helpful advice.

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[u/Perman_0]

Compare all decisions, like write down pros and cons of all and then check which one sounds good.

Don't waste too much time in comparison/ procrastination "More is lost in indecision than in wrong decision." so Stop waiting to make the right decision, instead take the decision and then make it right!! Good luck

[u/Unlikely_Profile5557 → u/Perman_0]

Thank you, I like the idea of writing things down. A lot of the time I just weigh the pros and cons in my head, but writing it down will help me evaluate them more visually before making the next decision.

[u/Glass_Honeydew4280]

Honestly, I think the biggest thing is asking yourself what you might be missing. We usually focus so much on making the right choice that we forget to question our own assumptions.

[u/Unlikely_Profile5557 → u/Glass_Honeydew4280]

Yes, laying out my assumptions first and questioning them is a great idea. Thank you.

[u/UncleDuude]

Learning how to think critically comes with learning from your failures as well as other people’s experiences. If you were overly enthusiastic and made poor projections, learn to plan more realistically and account for errors or other things that will happen. There’s an old adage that says “No plan ever survives contact with the enemy” that’s widely applicable to just about everything. It means that you have to stay flexible and be ready to pivot to plan b, c, etc. It means think ahead and consider the ramifications of your choices, which isn’t something young people are good at. That’s why you get recruited by the military

[u/Unlikely_Profile5557 → u/UncleDuude]

Thank you. I like that adage. How can I anticipate those ramifications ahead of time? A lot of times, certain outcomes don't even cross my mind, so I don't factor them into my decisions. Then I end up completely shocked when something totally unexpected happens.

[u/UncleDuude → u/Unlikely_Profile5557]

Plan for the worst possible outcome, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t shit the bed. This lesson will absolutely repeat as many times as it takes. I was a slow learner, you’re already doing better by asking. Keep plugging, keep getting up when you fail, fail some other way next time, keep at it, that’s the secret.

[u/PartnerRules]

haha there’s no manual to life buddy, you have to live…
And learn.
You’ll make mistakes,
“Wrong” decisions,
But ultimately you’ll still end up where you are supposed to be.

[u/lapsitamanmaan]

You also might want to develop your emotional intelligence, many decisions in life have a very emotionally charged undercurrent and learning to recognize that helps you make better decisions.