Not Choosing is a Choice

I am not sure if it is just me but I feel like restaurant menus today are starting to look more like a children’s pop-up book. What happened to the simple two-page laminate of breakfast, lunch and dinner? I find that I need about twenty minutes to try to get through the saga of food choices. Ultimately, I usually go into a state of information overload and pick a standby item, like a club sandwich. But let’s face it, when the server is impatiently staring at me and all I risk is overpaying for a relatively bland meal, it isn’t too hard to make a choice.

This idea of being forced to make a decision compelled me to ponder about other choices we make in life. What happens when our decision really does have an impact, such as a career change, moving to another state, buying a house or getting a dog? In these situations, you often don’t have the pressure of people around you begging you to make a choice, then what?

I used to think that there were two basic directions to take in making a choice…like a fork in the road, you either go left or right. As I have gotten older (I mean wiser), I realize that people often take a third road; they make a decision not to decide. You might say that not making a decision isn’t a decision - it is still “pending.” In this case, I would challenge the statute of limitations on “pending?” If for three years, someone told you that they disliked their job and wanted to do something different but felt like they didn’t have a choice, would that decision be considered “pending” or could you say that the person has already made a choice not to choose?

This isn’t an easy concept to get into a 300 word blog, but I was reminded of it the other day and decided I needed to resurrect it for myself. It keeps me accountable. When I am sitting way too long on the fence, I will ask myself the next question: “Have I decided not to decide?”, and if so, move on to the next opportunity in life.

Comments

[Susan Schneider]

I agree with you that not everything needs an immediate decision and taking time to think through the options is critical and I appreciate you noting this. My message this week focuses more on times when we are clearly just sitting in idle mode not really weighing the options at all; therefore, choosing not to make a choice at all.

[David Arnold]

When is doing nothing an acceptable and appropriate strategy? So much is moving so far and so fast today. Maybe putting the brakes on for a while can help sort out alternatives.