Tag / decision

by Nathan Coumbe

Who decides?

The person who experiences the consequences should make the decision.” —James Clear

How different would society be if this were true?

Which wars would be fought if the soldiers who did the fighting made the decision whether or not to fight, rather than the politicians and generals thousands of miles away from the battlefield?

Which social policies would be enacted (or cut) if the decision were up to the people reliant on those policies rather than the lawmakers who have only an academic understanding of what they’re implementing?

The visceral reality of a decision changes when you are the person affected.

by Nathan Coumbe

Predictable, predetermined choices

I had a moment of clarity today when I was re-reading a definition of proactive behavior.

“[Proactive behavior means] to choose your responses to various conditions rather than react in predictable or predetermined ways.”

This definition stuck out today because I read it right after finishing my lunch, which I had ordered with absolutely no forethought.

How many times have I walked into a restaurant and placed an order without thinking? How many times have I ordered something because that was what I had always gotten?

My choice of what to eat might be predictable – it’s what I always get – but it certainly isn’t predetermined. So this means I am not making a choice between stimulus and response.

Between stimulus and response is our greatest power–the freedom to choose. – Stephen R. Covey

Stimulus: walk into a restaurant for lunch.

Response: order the thing I always get, usually with less than ideal effects on my health.

I have a moment, in between arriving and ordering, where I can make a conscious decision about what to eat. This means I can choose to add value to my body, or I can choose to indulge in something less than ideal.

This is not a discussion of nutrition – it is a discussion of problem-solving. Think of all the decisions you make automatically each day, then pick one and imagine how you can respond between the stimulus and your automatic response.

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