Article June 9, 2003 Issue

The decisions you make

By Kay Olson

"Decisions, decisions ." I remember my mom saying this—usually on days when there were particularly many decisions she felt she had to make. But if you think about it, we make decisions all day long—from the time we throw off the bed covers in the morning until we pull them up again at night.

Some decisions are everyday ones, such as what to have for breakfast or what to wear to the office. Others are much more significant. Should we move, or stay put and add on? Should we name the baby Carrie because we like it, or Elsie because Grandma would like it?

Sometimes decisionmaking can turn into a sweaty process. I've been known to carry around a mental list of pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, which only makes me feel totally indecisive. In fact, I've found this method churns up my fear about making a decision instead of building up my confidence that I can make the right choice.