Every day, you make thousands of decisions. Most are automatic, the product of habit and heuristic. But some require deliberation—and in these, wisdom matters most.
Before deciding, ask: What are my actual options? Often we see only the obvious choices, missing the creative alternatives. The best decision may be one you haven't yet imagined.
Then ask: What would each option cost and yield—not just for me, but for the web of connection I am part of? Decisions ripple. Consider the ripples.
Then ask: What would my future self think of this choice? Would I be proud or ashamed? We often know what is right, but choose what is easy. Let your better nature vote.
And when you cannot know—when uncertainty is irreducible and stakes are high—choose the option you can learn from. The choice that generates information is often better than the choice that optimizes for a single outcome.
Finally: Decide, and then commit. Excessive deliberation is its own failure. At some point, you must act with incomplete information and accept the consequences.