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January 23, 2008

Too Many Options . . . A Fish Tale of Decisions

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 6:52 am

Trying to Keep Your Options Open?

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Ever been at a turning point without direction?

I know I have been.

What to do next becomes harder based the number of options. Having too many options is like having 21 fishing poles along a riverbank. Running up and down checking 21 fishing poles makes it difficult to respond when a pole gets a tug — what do I do with the fish that comes? Should I keep it or invest in what the other poles might bring? Keep it too long and it will start to . . . ahem . . . stink. Tending too many options, it’s easy to end up doing nothing.

Tiffany knows what I mean.

By defining what you are about in your career, your life, your relationships, you are actually giving yourself permission to do more, because you are choosing action over the inaction unlimited choice produces. — Tiffany Monhollon

I’ve been on few bad fishing expeditions. Now I know a good fish when I see one. The key is deciding what I want in a fish to start with. It’s like the sign in my high school said, “Not to decide is a decision.”

Are you faced with too many options? What decision could change that fishing expedition?

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13 Comments to “Too Many Options . . . A Fish Tale of Decisions”

  1. January 23rd, 2008 at 7:52 am
    Kristi Holl said

    Too many decisions about what project to work on is the hardest right now. And when I’m working on one thing, I feel like I should be working on the OTHER project. It’s like your mind is running on two or three tracks, instead of focused on the project in front of you. I’d love to get over the second-guessing!

  2. January 23rd, 2008 at 7:55 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Kristi!
    I’ve found a few solid ways around that . . . the best is to make appointments with my projects the same way I do with the people I meet with. :)

    It sure saves on the energy load.

  3. January 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 am
    Tiffany Monhollon said

    I recall a very specific moment in life when that realization that not making a decision is a decision. I still remember the sidewalk I was standing on, the color of the sky, the sounds and smells around me. It was such a moment of clarity.

  4. January 23rd, 2008 at 11:25 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Tiffany!
    It is something to realize that we’re always choosing. It’s the moment that we begin to own our lives for the real thing.

  5. January 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
    Mike DeWitt said

    What decision could change that fishing expedition?

    To pursue the dream regardless of the cost.

    [That seems pretty lame for having stared at this comment box for 15 minutes, but that’s the crux of it for me.]

  6. January 23rd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hey Mike,
    That’s what it came down to for me. I had to get “determined.”

  7. January 23rd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
    Edrei said

    My problem has always been that I don’t have many options at all or rather I can’t see any viable option to begin with.

    In times like that, the hardest part is always to wait. The chance is alway to lose what you have for a a new choice right now or risk it and hope that you can juggle the moments and hold the deadlock until it’s all clear.

    But when I’m faced with so many options, the easiest thing for me to do is to take the most practical solution. Either way, time goes forward. You can’t be blamed if you can’t take all the roads. It’s better to consolidate what you have and what you need rather than risk it all for something you’re unsure off.

    The upside, you can always come back to the things with more time on your hand to explore the options. They won’t run away especially when you keep looking for them to begin with.

  8. January 23rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Edrei!
    You are a practical thinker. Maybe I should hire you to sort my options out. I could use some of your consolidation on a regular basis. I like my options so elegantly pure.

    The more you tell me, the more I enjoy hearing. :)

    You are certainly not a stranger. :)

  9. January 23rd, 2008 at 11:46 pm
    Edrei said

    Haha Liz, I like my options pure as well. I always don’t understand why people can’t break things down to the most basic of choices.

    Do you really want it? Do you really need it? What in God’s name is it?

    When people figure that out, sometimes too many choices can be narrowed down to something you can actually swallow. :)

  10. January 24th, 2008 at 7:57 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Edrei,
    Well, yes, the key to sorting options is having a direction before you try to sort them. Then the options become a matter of “Does this take me where I want to go?”

  11. January 25th, 2008 at 10:45 am
    Phil Butler said

    WOW Liz, You have described what I call “the opossum in the middle of the road” syndrome. Sometimes I feel like I am stuck in the headlights - undecided about which way to go. This is great stuff.

    Always,

    Phil

  12. January 25th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
    K Stone said

    I think I need to start with clearing off my desk!

  13. January 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Phil!
    I know. It’s blinding how overwhelming too many options can be. Sometimes I feel physically stuck. :)

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