SECOND THOUGHTS: Making and grappling with decisions
The poet Rumi once said, “Indecision is the prison where the soul is kept captive.”
If there is one thing we all face, it is being the prisoner of indecision. This is especially a risk when one is part of a team and the leader of such a team.
In my previous blog, I said how everyday I walk into The Signal office, I must make sure I keep the purpose of the paper in mind so that every decision I make steers the paper in its best direction.
With every occasion I have to make a choice, I must ensure I decide things in a timely manner and not become a prisoner of indecision.
When you become imprisoned by your indecision, your actions also become trapped, and that prevents effective action, work and productivity that can be done. When you’re a writer and editor-in-chief of a newspaper like me, you cannot afford to be inactive. Otherwise, the community you are supposed to inform cannot grow in knowledge.
As editor-in-chief of The Signal, many decisions must be made by me, my team and sometimes me alone depending on what it is. One can imagine the pressure.
Alas, the machine must keep turning, the clock must keep ticking, content must keep coming and the newspaper must keep informing.
Every week is one in which decisions are made and I am forced to make decisions quickly because delaying only leads to overthinking and risking imprisonment from indecision.
Of course, no decision comes without consequence. Whether good or bad, consequences follow every decision. I could make a decision others disagree with, I could make a decision I end up regretting or I could make a decision that has drastic consequences that affect myself and others negatively.
I certainly have great understanding for why we struggle with decisions, and especially with making decisions quickly. In my efforts to be someone who makes well thought out but timely decisions, I am aware of the risks that come with it.
As I continue to use all my knowledge and experience to take necessary action, there is much I have learned when it comes to making decisions.
Sometimes you make decisions you regret Sometimes you make decisions that do not please everyone around you.
There are decisions you make that you are not certain about, and that uncertain decision comes back to bite you. Sometimes all you can do is grow and learn from it.
As Yoda said, “The greatest teacher failure is.”
Sometimes you will be wrong. The key is admitting it.
Sometimes you make decisions and everyone around you will make you feel you are wrong and it is up to me to decide if I need to really reconsider things.
But if there is one lesson learned in the maze of decision making, it is to make decisions in a timely manner. Sometimes things are pondered on too much and it leads to a less-than-stellar decision made.
Ultimately, time and regrets are the two forces that make a mind anxious about decision making.
But I know that everything I do is what I think is best for this paper. As long as I keep that in mind, I know that I can live with any repercussions and mistakes.
One thing I am grateful for is being a student in higher education who is also a journalist. Higher education is ultimately the place where we are all growing and preparing for who we will be in a few years (or semesters). With that in mind, all I can do is make the best decision and learn from it if I regret it.
One of the primary rules of life is learning to live with regrets. And I would rather live with regrets and learn from them than live in the prison of indecision.
