Everything has its balancing opposite—the pluses and the minuses of every situation. The stop and the go; the yes and the no. We’re faced with this constant onslaught of decisions. But when it comes down to it, our hardwired belief structure makes the ultimate decisions, usually regardless of the potential negative outcomes.
Here’s an example:
My son called me the other day to tell me that he was considering buying an expensive new tv. Since he had just moved and incurred a lot of expenses, he was balancing the decision. He continued to explain an interest-free option that would allow him to pay it off each month.
As is my normal, I told him that he knew what he was comfortable spending and ended the conversation. My son called me later that evening to tell me he had bought the set. Which I knew he would, since he had already convinced himself that was what he wanted.
We do that too. It’s confirmation bias that makes us focus on what we want, rather than weighing the issues equally. We see only the positives clearly—and muddy the waters on the negatives.
Have you experienced this or witnessed it in yourself? How do you make decisions that aren’t bogged down in your own biases and preferences?
