One Decision

One Decision explains how flawed decisions occur and how you can avoid them by analyzing data at first, asking for fact-checked opinions, eliminating your biases and prejudice, and many more useful practices derived from psychological research.

When you focus on the opportunities, you become optimistic and solutions-oriented. You start looking for solutions instead of focusing on the problems that are right in front of your face.

I know that sounds pretty obvious, but think about it for a minute. We often convince ourselves that we know what’s going to happen next. Do you think that’s not the case? How many times have you postponed asking for a raise or going for a routine check-up on your health?

If you can think of a few occasions right away, it’s clear that you too, just like the rest of the humans, are wired to stay in your comfort zone of assumptions. What’s worse, we then make decisions based on those predictions—but more often than not, those predictions are not based on facts.

This is why it is crucial to stay focused on all the possible outcomes and how they could play out, as well as the solutions associated with all the scenarios. Then, just try to play out the best possible scenario for your situation.

If you’re not careful, you might fall into the trap of overgeneralizing. This is when you make a determination based on very little evidence and apply it to a larger context—like deciding that all women are bad drivers because one woman almost hit you while driving on the highway.

To avoid this pitfall, zoom out from single events or stereotypes. In other words, be objective! This means you shouldn’t make a decision based on singular facts, but rather average them out and leave subjectivity aside, even if it’s not convenient on the spot.

Another great lesson from the book is to learn the skill of adaptability. Life is likely going to push you into new and unthinkable scenarios, regardless of your routine. If you want to come out stronger on the other side, you must learn to adapt.

For example, you might be inclined to think that girls are better dancers. One day, you decide to take dance lessons yourself, and on your first day, you see that your instructor is a man. Besides overgeneralizing, not being flexible can spoil that experience for you.

You might think that you chose the wrong class or that the professor is not going to provide you with any valuable lessons. However, these are all products of a rigid mind that won’t try out things before opinionating. Keep an open mind if you want to navigate life more easily!