The Power of Deciding in Advance I
There is a thought in theoretical physics that is fast gaining ground in mainstream. And that is the idea of infinite and parallel universes—or the multiverse to be more accurate. Strong proponents like Dr Michio Kaku suggest, with a straight face, that there are an infinite number of parallel worlds to ours and that many are popping in and out of existence all the time. (link opens as a video in a new window and is also super-nerdy :) )
There is much more to be discovered before we can say whether these theories are right or wrong. It is difficult to conceive of an infinite number of worlds somewhere out there. But there is one aspect of the theory that I find I can accept with little struggle—the idea that our decisions create new realities.
In this article, we begin a series on decisions.
This is an excerpt from a chapter of my upcoming book on the subject of the vital few principles and practices that lead to a successful and fulfilling life. Sign up for the free newsletter to receive updates. Now on with the article!
Specifically, we will explore how the ability to make our decisions in advance is a vital skill (part of the vital few skills) necessary for success. But before we get into that, let us talk about what it means to decide something. To explain, let us take a brief foray into etymology.
Source: Pixabay - https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-fence-lookout-female-young-918734/
Cut off
The word decision is actually related to the word incision. That is a cut into something. A decision, however, is a cut away from something. That is, when ever you make a decision, it is really about separating from the myriad other ways you could act in that situation. So a surgeon may make an incision into a particular area of the body during a medical procedure. But that choice is a decision that means she is not cutting into other areas of the patient—thankfully.
Making a decision means you choose one thing, one approach,one path, to the exclusion of all other options.
I told you it would be brief :)
Decisions determine everything
Commonly, when we relate to decisions we think about them as an attachment to something. That is, we decide to do something. What we often don't consider is that, in doing that thing, we have cut off from doing a lot of other things. This is important not only because it greatly simplifies our lives, but it also makes us more effective. We can focus better and likely achieve more. In a sense, decisions are the antidote to waffling, dilly-dallying or straight-up procrastination. The quality of being decisive can greatly sharpen our effectiveness. In fact, without it, we will hardly get anything done! And deciding on a path of action can be very satisfying as anyone who has ever experienced the torment of indecision will tell you.
The Power of Deciding in advance
Our best decisions are made in advance. They are thought through long before the situation where they are deployed. This is the essence of rehearsal—the power lies in deciding ahead of time—how we will respond to a situation when it arises.
As we will see in the articles in this series, deciding in advance plays into many different and important aspects of our lives. Deciding in advance is something we do because it has many benefits. For one, we do it because we do not want to be caught off-guard. We know that we are susceptible to an army of biases and weaknesses from inside and manipulations from the outside that can cause us to act against our best interests in the pressure of the moment. We know that while we may know better, we do not always act according to that knowledge in the moment. We often act in spite of our best knowledge because we get caught up in the moment. We have not decided in advance.
This is why one of the most important disciplines you can develop is the habit of making as many of your decisions as possible in advance. Interestingly, building this habit involves deciding in advance to decide in advance. In fact, habit formation in general relies heavily on the concept of deciding in advance. That is what we look into in part II of this series.
Until then, be your best!
