Don’t worry about making the right decision; just make the decision right.

Reflection

This idea comes from Dr. Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard and author of The Mindful Body. Her core takeaway is that instead of agonizing over whether you are choosing the “correct” path, you should simply pick an option and actively work to make that decision right.

The goal is action. Decide, then take the learnings from whatever happens and use them to make the next best decision.

Every decision is but an experiment. Every outcome is just data to inform your next experiment.

When you’re all-consumed by making the perfect choice, you become paralyzed and often fail to act. Instead, you must become all in on your decisions, which means committing whole-heartedly to following your interests, adapting to what happens next, and trusting that as long as you are moving forward, you’re on the right path.

Action over perfection.

Complement with Mindset is Medicine, a thoughtful conversation between Dr. Langer and Rich Roll about the anxiety of choice and the active nature of mindfulness.