It's Not Always Right to Be Right

Chapter 14The Hardest Part of a Decision

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and served until her retirement in 2006. A moderate conservative, she was known for her dispassionate and meticulously researched opinions.

Can you only imagine the type of pressure and intense scrutiny she would have faced on a daily basis?

Decisions of historical precedence. Decisions of national, often global, significance. Decisions with political ramifications and decisions of public transparency.

Apparently, she was exceptional.

Why is it some people can handle the pressures of decision making so much better than others? Why do the majority ruminate, deliberate, agonise and personalise?

The hardest part of a decision is the decision itself.

THE MESSAGE

As human beings, we tend to be pretty harsh on ourselves. If we are not questioning growth and progress, then we are pondering happiness and contentment levels. Invariably, we start thinking of the past: ruminations on what was and what could have been.

Decision making is something of an oddity. Although we make thousands of decisions every day, many of us agonise over them. Literally. They make us second guess ourselves, question our abilities, and, for many, they can lead to heartache and inertia.

Big decisions will always need thought and consideration. I don't mind if I have to agonise over making them. Serious upfront anguish ...