Jenn Bregman

The intrigue lies not so much in who did it, but why . . .

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    The Gorilla Power of Decision Making

    Warm Greetings and Welcome,

    So many of us have been struggling with decisions lately. Endlessly weighing the pros and cons, trying to intuitively “divine” the right answer or asking friends for opinions ad nauseam, we are paralyzed by our relentless “what ifs.” We kinda’ decide, paw at the decision, nibble at it a bit until it gets too hard, and ultimately succumb to failure. And that’s in the best scenario when we move far enough along in the process to even pretend to make a decision.

    Why?

    Because like most things we avoid, decisions are hard, scary, include the possibility of failure, and are WAY outside our comfort zone. I can hear you . . . you’re saying “NOT,” but a true decision is all those things.

    It is a big deal. The Latin root of the word “decide” literally means “to cut off.” By deciding, you are, in fact, cutting off all other options, driving forward and committing to your choice – one path – no sideroads.

    Even writing this makes me want to hyperventilate.

    Who wants to put all their eggs in one basket? Not hedge their bets? (And how many more of these expressions do we have anyway?)

    What if we’re WRONG??? What if we FAIL????

    So, many of us, myself included, have been trying not to. Unwilling to fully commit, we have been putting little pinkie toes in lots of ponds. Getting lots of wet little pinkie toes and not much else.

    Which leads me to the unflattering, but inescapable conclusion that this all stems from a lack of courage.

    Not the kind of courage needed to stare down a lanced foe, but the kind needed to stand strong against fears of failure, ridicule, or worse. And not only to stand strong against the fears, but possibly even endure the real thing.

    But is this necessary? Do you really need to go “all in” to achieve a big dream? And the answer is undeniably “yes.” If it truly is a big dream, it is, by definition, not only outside your comfort zone, but outside of the norm you know as you. It’s going to take everything you have to lift off and rocket to your dream. You’ll need thousands of pounds of thrust, a helmet with giant blinders to keep you focused on your prize, and a visor with crap proof protection to keep the naysayers nay away. You’ll have to play full out with no Plan B.

    That’s why the decision is so hard.

    But once you really decide and commit yourself 100% to the decision, the angst and torture are gone. You can feel the cumbersome boosters of indecision and doubt dropping away as you lift off, shooting straight to the stars.

    Imagine the joy of your singular focus. The stillness. The YOU, as you streak forward into your dreams. Can you imagine what you might do? Would it be scary? Yes. Would it be exhilarating? Yes. Might you succeed? Yes.