Heads or Tails
Many times deciding on an “important” issue in childhood included flipping a coin with landing on Heads being one choice and landing on Tails being another choice. And that was it. The choice was made with no argument or do overs. Sometimes the choice went your way and sometimes it didn’t. But done was done and everyone moved on.
I remember the game and I remember being part of this very simple way to decide. What I don’t remember is who got to decide what the choices were for each side of the coin.
As an adult, especially in this time of uncertainty, political unrest, increasingly difficult social media filters and constantly changing news, sometimes I wish we could all go back to making decisions, simply and decidedly, by flipping a coin. But this simply doesn’t work.
These are a few guides to making decisions.
- Be clear about your choices. Limit these choices when you can. Too many and too much of anything is overwhelming. (Remember that when holding young children accountable making a choice).
- Control what you can control. Nobody can control everything, but everybody can control something.
- Can your decision be reversed if new information is learned? Will this matter?
- Can you / will you defend your decision and feel solid and comfortable with this?
- Make decisions when you are thinking clearly and can see the effects of your choice. Decision fatigue is a real thing. Deciding on something as simple as going to bed when the house is cluttered, is not the same as deciding on a new job or your child’s school program. Set boundaries for yourself.
Deciding can be highly impactful personally and professionally. Long term effects of decisions can create life paths. These are tricky times, and we can see the shape of our family and community based on decisions made both big and small. Have a thoughtful voice. Be informed. Create confidence. Make decisions. Your family counts on it.
Also, to be truly transparent, there is an NFL game on in the background.
There is a coin flip that will determine which team will kick, receive, or defer the football to start the game. This is agreed upon ahead of time. And that will be that with no arguments or do overs.
Maybe they know something we don’t ~ interesting.