When my daughter was young, I never asked what she wanted for dinner. Instead, I would give her a choice of two parent-approved options.
Without those options, she’d shrug her shoulders and say: “I don’t know.”
But asked whether it was stir-fry or taco night? She’d immediately pick tacos.
When you say these are your options, kids know what to pick, right?
The same applies to adults.
There are so many things we could be doing, and no gatekeepers stopping us from going after what we want. Write a book, start a website, offer services, become a coach, or a yoga instructor… literally anything!
But with so many options, many of us feel overwhelmed rather than joyful excitement, and paralysis rather than motivation.
This, my friend, is the tyranny of choice.
With unlimited opportunities, why are we not DOING any of them?
Research has shown time and time again that the more choices you have, the less you actually get done.
Looking at every option, comparing everything, trying to figure out what’s most important, what’s good, what’s not…
… and before you know it, information overload!
“I’m overwhelmed, got a headache, don’t want to decide! I’ll pick tomorrow.”
And tomorrow goes by again, and again.
How about, instead of worrying about the end goal, we focus on the joy of choosing. Doesn’t that sound like a much better plan?
WHY CHOOSING ISN’T LIMITING, BUT FREEING
Let’s try this exercise.
What if I asked what you really wanted out of life?
What if I then said pick that one thing and just do it?
Sounds so simple, but the reality of putting it into practice can be difficult.
One thing I teach is how to choose that one thing and do it with joy and the least amount of stress possible.
You want to pick something, do it, get it done and feel great about what you’ve achieved.
Imagine this: you also want to write a book, start a business, create a course, be a speaker, you’re multi-talented!
Each goal needs research, an outline of steps to take, which must be followed up by intentional action, and all this takes valuable time.
Let’s say you only have four hours a day to get things done. You could allocate an hour for each option, but that would mean some slow progress.
And you’d be spreading limited resources – time, money, energy – in a lot of different directions.
That’s what too much choice gives you. A lot to think about and do!
It doesn’t give progress, that excitement to finish or quick wins. Instead, it demotivates and slows you down.
So, what happens if you just picked one? Go for it, play the big game, lay it all out and finish.
You’d then be able to move onto the next thing, knowing in your heart that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
HOW TO MAKE CHOOSING JOYFUL RATHER THAN STRESSFUL
There’s no reason to run around in circles or have a thousand things on your plate. You need to just pick one and tackle it head-on.
“But how do I choose?”
That’s the biggest question I get and what I’ve been teaching in my signature event Finish Line by Design—how to choose and move toward your dreams. But don’t worry, everything else isn’t forgotten, it’s just on the back burner for a later time.
Now you’re making progress, two things can happen.
You love the thing you’re doing so much that you don’t want to do anything else.
Or you think, wait, I don’t like this at all! Let me put this down and go onto the next thing.
And when you do it that way, there’s no more FOMO. Tried it, didn’t like it, and moving on with confidence because it’s not for me.
MISSING OPPORTUNITY SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITY
I read an article once about choosing the person you want to marry. With all these dating apps, everyone is swiping non-stop. And there are so many options, you keep on going because Mr. Perfect is just around the next swipe, right?
Or did you swipe past him looking for something better only to regret it later?
And now Mr. Perfect has gone off with someone who made a choice and picked him!
The lesson? Don’t swipe by opportunities hoping for something better. Make a decision, pick one, and try it on for size before you swipe left.
CHOOSING IS KEY TO ACHIEVING A BALANCED LIFE
While I love talking about getting what you want out of life, my big thing is balance.
I don’t believe in hustling or overworking, but in joyful and balanced achievement.
That’s why I teach people how to accomplish big dreams by making choices, and to do so with ease, joy, flow, and balance. How to get to that finish line without stressing out!
I want everyone in this world to have more time with family, for things that make them feel alive, on dating sites if that’s what you really want!
And it’s ok to choose dating as important. You don’t have to choose career or side hustle; you can choose YOU.
What’s important is to pick one option and give it your all.
So go out there, choose, and make moves my friend!
Drop a comment below: What’s your biggest worry when making a choice?
Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party?
Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.
Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts.
Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.
About the author
Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!
