Choice means the right, power, and opportunity to choose
Every choice comes with a consequence. Once you make a choice, you must accept responsibility. You cannot escape the results of your choices, whether you like them. – Roy T. Bennett
How do we make choices?
It is an effort to make decisions. Therefore:
- People prefer that choices are made for them.
- For example – if you had to click not to receive an offer, most people would stick with the default option chosen for them.
- People do better with limited choices than with lots of options.
- They may feel they prefer a wide choice range – as long as it has about 8-15 options. Our brains shut down when we face too many options. Some call it decision fatigue. Often, we choose anything to get it over and done.
- Making many decisions is tiring.
- People fall prey to decision overload when facing too many decisions over a short period. A 2010 study of magistrates doing parole hearings revealed that parole was more readily granted to prisoners early in the morning, after tea or lunch breaks. Conversely, when magistrates become weary of listening to too many cases, the chances of granting parole diminish substantially. The conclusion is that making difficult choices quickly leads to taking ”the easy way out” or making safe decisions that don’t require much thought.
What is a good choice?
Psychology. Today describes good choices as decisions that help you get ahead. On the other hand, bad choices are decisions that keep you back – they cause more problems rather than solving them.
Example: You want to have a career and be financially independent one day. Currently, teens choose to party, drink alcohol and engage in unprotected sex. How long will they be able to keep up with their studies and classes if they miss school because they wake up most mornings after 11h00 with a headache? How do unwanted pregnancies influence their plans?
When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes more manageable.
Roy Disney
The bottom line is that your choices must be congruent with your goals.
Another critical factor in decision-making is that people who make good decisions are responsible. Winston Churchill said, ”The price of greatness is responsibility.” Every choice has a consequence. There is no way to escape the result of your choices—good or bad.
Two reactions that follow a decision can either be satisfaction or regret.
The most extraordinary power that a person possesses is the power to choose. – J. Martin Kohe
What time of day do we make better choices?
What process do you follow when you make choices?
Didn’t you know you follow a process? Yes, you do!
Resource: Counselling theory and practice in South Africa. Claudia da Rocha Kustner. April 2011.
What influences you when you make choices?
You thought you and only you influence your choices? Check this out:
Resource: Counselling theory and practice in South Africa. Claudia da Rocha Kustner. April 2011.
6 Steps to Make Better Choices?
If you tend to make bad choices and would like to stop doing that, you might need a set method or steps you can follow to help you make the best decision. It is beneficial with decisions or choices that will have a long-term effect. It might save you a lot of remuneration if you know you did your best to make the best decision possible at the time.
Note: When people believe what they decide matters, they are more likely to make a decision.
Resources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/in-control/201508/making-good-choices
https://www.theexceptionalskills.com/decision-making-steps/